The One Night Stand
by Shaydrall
Summary: So life was pretty normal until I bumped into a girl from two years past in the middle of a NYC blizzard who was wearing just a dress. Oh and she's from a video game, did I mention that? And she needs my help? A self insert fic onto the fantastical ship known as the Legacy where I get tossed about between trying to alter the course of the game and avoiding the 28th Wonder Baker...
1. Let it Snow

**Hello world, Shaydrall here once again. This will be my fourth real fic that I've worked on, though this time it's an SI (self insert). Tales of Legendia (something I don't own/disclaimer) has always been one of my favorite games for it's great cast of characters and their growth together. That is why I find myself here, and not somewhere else.**

**On a different note, this story was inspired through great conversation with my new friend Sylph Writer who has written a truly awesome Tales SI called Fairy Tales and Brave Vesperia (which you should go check out) and so Sylph holds my dedication for this fic as well. To each and every author, a new story is a new piece of life springing from our minds, our hearts, and our souls. So to inspire such a thing is about as noble as it gets you know? Thanks Sylph =) I hope you enjoy it.**

**As for all the other ToL junkies reading this: Prepare yourself for some good old ToL fun and to see sides of the game you never knew existed. Just don't forget, with an SI you actually have to ****_get_**** in the game, so be patient. It's only two small chapters of Earth. I promise you'll be there before you know it. Enjoy.**

XxxxX

I closed my notebook with a yawn, clicking the pen I had been using absently. Another page was filled with novice level calculus problems, though I was hardly going to complain for that. After years of attacking the mindless theoretical sides of mathematics it was nice to be doing something more simple, not to mention enjoyable, for a change. Snow fell in thick sheets beyond my fifth story apartment window. I hadn't been living in the city long but I was a New Yorker by birth and any native of this state could tell you how unpredictable the weather was. For all I knew it'd be t-shirt and shorts tomorrow. Sure it was early February, but the only certainty I could take away from that was that I'd be 23 years old in two months.

Pushing my homework out of the way (I'm in grad school btw), I opened my computer and looked at my current project. Well, projects. Three separate fanfiction stories and I was stuck with all of them. Ugh. Not that I normally had problems like this, but sometimes you could hit a rough spot and just feel uninspired for a few weeks before the drive came back. I assumed that's what I was dealing with. Of course, I wasn't having any issues _reading_ fanfics. In the past couple of weeks I'd torn through about two dozen, all of moderate to long length. Truly some good writers in the world. My iPhone started ringing: the challenge complete music from Ratchet: Deadlocked. Good stuff. I let it play for a bit before answering the call.

"Hey Liz what's up?"

"I'm out," said the voice on the other side. "They told me I could go home now."

"How was the operation?" I asked. I wasn't really concerned about the answer, I knew that she'd be alright. Still, conversation is a conversation.

"It was good. Well, no it hurt like hell. I'm still high on morphine actually."

"Jesus, just like that first time eh? You really have no tolerance to anything."

"Hey, I'm tolerant," she said. I knew she was pouting.

"Like you're tolerance of people not believing in evolution?"

"Shay, you can't _believe_ in evolution. Evolution happened. Period."

"I'm not so sure if I believe you anymore, what about the missing link?"

"Well trololol to you too."

"Look at you using those meme words like that. I've taught you well."

"I don't know how I put up with you."

"Actually you don't. Not tolerant remember?"

"I'm tolerant!"

"Right, try telling that to two glasses of wine."

"You're insufferable. How are the roomies?" I glanced over at my roommates door. Gay couple that had been living there since October when Liz moved out. Yeah, long story. A two year long story for that matter.

"They're alright. I think I'm going to be upping their rent by a hundred bucks, things have been getting a little sticky lately. Not like they don't have a good deal already." The doorbell rang, making me look around in surprise. "Hang on a sec, I think this might be UPS." Turns out it wasn't. Nice lady, late twenties, Hispanic, looking to raise money for children in need. Fortunately she apparently wasn't allowed to speak with anyone under the age of 25.

"Who was it?" asked Liz when I returned to the call.

"Police, they're looking for an escaped murderer who's running around this area. I told them to try next door." Liz just snorted with laughter. My next door neighbor was an ancient looking African American woman who could only be seen coming and going from her home between two and three in the morning. I know it's weird but I live in NYC so pretty typical if you ask me.

"Can you come visit me soon? I want to hang out and I can't move around that much."

"Yeah, I'll try for later in the week. I have to go now. Doing homework."

"Alright, talk to you later."

"See ya." I hung up the phone and started paging through my apps. "Well at least she sounds alright. She's always getting sick," I muttered, heading over to the kitchen. Grabbing a coke from the fridge I opened the fanfic reader on my phone and continued reading the last chapter of a fic I had found recently. A Self Insert fic of a Tales game. Quite good. The female main character tended to have lapses of mania and that only added to it. Not someone I'd ever want to have as an enemy at any rate. As if something like that would ever happen.

"Nope, no fairies in New York City..." I mused, making my way to my room. "Well, unless Holly Black is to be believed. I can't believe I actually read through that book..."

I flopped onto my bed, sinking slowly into the four inch thick memory foam... only to jump back up when the doorbell rang again. Fortunately this time is _was_ the UPS guy, delivering my textbook. I still can't believe that the school wanted nearly $200 for it. Half price on ? Well considering that I'd only have to give up an arm for the amazon copy as opposed to an arm and a leg at the bookstore I think I made the better choice.

I ended up spending the rest of the night watching the snow fall out of my room window. Occasionally I went back to check the rest of the area through the main room window. By the time the clock read 2:00AM there was nearly a foot of it in the nearby roofs. I drifted off watching the flakes fall.

XxxxX

I woke up the next morning bleary eyed. Strange dreams of various sized, solid color butterfly like things passed through my mind.

"Jeez, that was bizarre," I muttered, making my way to the bathroom to freshen up. _The fairies are coming to get me_, I thought, snorting. I glanced out of the window and froze. Everything was completely covered in snow. "Shit, this is nuts. When was the last time the city saw a blizzard like this. I hope I have enough food." I bypassed the bathroom and headed straight into the kitchen, popping open the fridge. Package of Trader Joe's bbq chicken, check. Can of refried beans, check. Full case of Mike's Hard Lemonade, check check. Snacks back in my room, check. Opening the freezer I found one pint of B&J Smores ice cream, check (though it sucks, don't buy it). And finally a bag of frozen tater tots, check. I let out a heavy sigh.

"Dammit, this will only last me till five. Might have to brave the storm after all." For the record, I'm doing my best not to exaggerate, but when faced with the inability to restock on food I get hungry. No exceptions. It's quite troublesome. On the plus side I have a ridiculous metabolism so no matter how much I eat I still maintain a great figure and will always be underweight for a guy who's six feet tall. I only weigh about 150lbs. Go metabolism, yay!

Munching on some of the tots, they were still frozen, by the way I have a really big thing for frozen food, I tried to work more on my fics but I couldn't focus. My head was still filled with random pieces from that dream with the weird colored butterflies. A sudden sharp pain pierced my head. "Ouch. Advil." I went to my room and grabbed a couple capsules of the godly medicine from my bottom drawer before swallowing them with a swig of water. The sudden headache was strong but as far as my body was concerned, there was nothing an Advil couldn't fix.

Sure enough as I predicted, I ran out of food by late afternoon and had to risk going outside to stock back up. I had a grocery store not two blocks from where I lived and hopefully the neighborhood hadn't already cleaned them out of most things. New Yorker's never passed up an opportunity to stock up, so when the weather got back people got shopping. Of course there was no question that the store would be open. They'd literally have to be blown into a smoking hole in the ground to close. I pulled on two pairs of pants and my large thick winter coat, finishing up with my heavy boots, and made my way down the stairs to the tundra outside. The people who maintained the buildings in the surrounding area including my own hadn't even bothered trying to keep up with the snowfall. Occasionally I saw someone in a large pickup or something similarly large drive past shakily, but it looked like most people were staying off the roads.

I pushed through the snow to the store which was predictably empty of customers and a good portion of everything on the shelves. Grabbing a basket I just filled it with frozen veggies, pasta, and rice. No point getting fresh stuff if it wasn't fresh. The sole cashier looked quite miserable at being forced to work in this weather so I gave her a tip for bagging my stuff, to which she gave me a weak smile and a nod of thanks. One hand holding my bags, I walked back into the cold only to crash into someone smaller than me.

"Ah!" The girl who walked right into me fell over into the snow, her long blond snow covered hair obscuring her face.

"Shit, sorry about that," I said quickly. "You alright?" The girl brushed her hair out of her face and peered at me as if not sure I was real.

"I f-finally found y-y-you," she stammered through chattering teeth. Somewhat taken aback by the statement I actually got a good look at what the girl was wearing. A long white dress with some blue sashes. That was _it._ Of course that was the second thing on the "are you fucking kidding me?" list.

"_Lyra?_" I said, dumbfounded. What the hell, and seriously what the _hell_, was some girl I'd only met once two years ago doing here in a blizzard wearing a dress!?

"H-hi, S-Shayne," she said with a small smile. Her lips were purple blue and her fingers were reddish.

"Jesus christ, where's your coat?" I snapped pulling her to her feet, which were wearing dainty white shoes. I unzipping my own coat and pulled the girl inside of it with me. There was certainly enough space in the giant thin. She immediately wrapped her arms around me in a sigh of relief. Pulling one arm out of my coat I slipped it behind her back and used the ones holding the bags to lift her up bridal style. Had she always been this light? She clutched the coat so that it would keep us covered and not slide off my back. "Let's get to my home and then we can catch up yeah?" Lyra said nothing, just absorbing every bit of warmth she could. Getting back to my apartment was awkward between juggling groceries, my keys, and girl only a couple years younger than myself, but when crazy shit happens to you, you tend to just get things done and not think about how you got them done in the first place.

Safely back in my apartment I brought Lyra to my room and quickly tucked her into my bed, letting her stay in the coat as it was already very warm.

"Now," I said, bringing her a steaming cup of tea, "mind telling me what on Earth you were doing outside like that?"

"Sorry, I didn't know it would be snowing like that," she said sheepishly, sipping the tea gratefully. I just looked at her blankly.

"What, have you had your eyes closed for the past few days or did you just magically pop in from somewhere far away?"

"The latter."

"I see," I deadpanned. "And you said you were looking for me?"

"Yes, I'm so glad I found you," she said, putting down the now empty cup. I glanced at it with raised eyebrows. Girls and their high heat tolerance... Suddenly I found myself being dragged onto the bed after which I was blessed with a very passionate kiss. Breaking it off, Lyra just sighed happily. "Oh you have no idea how much I've been wanting to do that these past two years."

"I, uh, wow," I said, looking into her sky blue eyes. "It's really great to see you too." I blinked a bit before thinking over exactly what had just been happening. "You've changed a lot."

"Well a lot's happened since I last saw you," she said with a shrug.

"And by saw me you mean met me in a bar where you had practically no idea what alcohol was at the time, though was willing to try it," I said with a smirk. "And then keep trying it. That was a fun night. We ended up in a hotel room downtown somewhere if I remember correctly."

"Completely changed my life," she said happily.

"I don't understand how a one night stand can change anyone's life but if you say so," I shrugged, still on my back. "Plus if it meant so much to you then why did you vanish the next day. I never saw you again, though I'd have liked to." Lyra just let out a breath.

"This isn't my home, I told you that when we first met," she said. "I needed to get back to my village."

"Have you been out much since?" I asked, wondering exactly where she was from. I was absolutely terrible at discerning heritage from a persons look, though something about her did feel familiar. Interestingly enough, I was sure I felt the same thing last time too.

"No this is my second time out in this world," she said, shaking her head. I sat up with a frown.

"As in this urban world or like Earth?" I looked her up and down. "Tell me, did I have sex with an alien two years ago?" She just sighed, rubbing her head.

"Maybe I should start from the beginning." Clearing her throat she folded her hands in her lap and looked me directly in the eye.

"Have you ever heard of the Ferines before?"

XxxxX

**A/N: **Part one of two of the opening. I won't be leaving much here at the end until I actually get into the game. Then I'll put everything I need to.


	2. Last Day on Earth

"Look I won't pretend to be an expert on this so here's a simple explanation. You see for there to be an existence there must be the body and the soul. Very basic, yes?" I nodded, wondering where this was going. "The creator gives it a body, and throughout it's creation a soul. That soul is the love that every creator had for the idea. Parts of their own souls, if you would."

"Let me get this straight," I said, pacing before the bed slightly. It was night time. The explanation had literally taken the rest of the day to sink in. "You're saying that every story, movie, anything like that, essentially has its own universe of existence outside of our own which was created by whoever made it?"

"That's right," she nodded.

"And you're telling me," I continued, flipping through a CD binder and pulling out a disk, "that you just came out of _this?_" I said, holding up my copy of Tales of Legendia. She paled perceptibly.

"You mean to tell me that thing you're holding is the world where the Ferines come from?" she asked incredulously. "You actually have it?"

"Have it?" I said with a snort. "Are you kidding me this is one of my all time favorite games ever! By the way, there's thousands of copies of this thing everywhere in my world. I'm not special to be owning it."

"I knew that I was from a different world," she breathed, looking at the disk with a mix of emotions on her face, "but I never imagined that I would actually encounter one. It is... unnerving." I put the disk away somewhat bemused.

"You do realize that I don't believe you at all, right?" I asked. "I mean it's a crazy story but you can't just expect me to take it as truth without proof and holy shit you are floating." Lyra was now standing beside the bed, albeit a foot and a half off the floor, great butterfly like wings of the purest white at her back.

"My Teriques, obviously," she said, motioning to the wings at her back. Teriques. Those butterfly things I had been dreaming about the night before were Teriques. And now Lyra was a Ferines?Coincidence?

"Obviously..." I said weakly. I passed my hand under her to find nothing holding her up. "So what brings you here? Um, scratch that. How are you even existing?" At this Lyra smiled.

"Do you believe in a God?"

"Even after you floating around not likely," I said. "You telling me 'God' has something to do with this?"

"Oh of course not," she said shaking her head. "I was just curious. Well this first time I came to this world was two years ago. That was my first world jump. I'll try to explain a bit later," she said at my look of curiosity. "Anyway, I was totally lost, had no idea about anything but," she smiled pleasantly, "I ended up in a bar where I met you. You were definitely confused by why I was so clueless about everything but you explained anything I asked kindly and thoroughly. I had such a nice time talking to you. Then I started drinking that wine and you were drinking something amber and things got really silly. We ended up spending the night together. You remember all this right?" I nodded. "Well I couldn't stay in your world. I had to get back to my own. I felt a bit more liberated though after our night together. I traveled back and didn't think of returning again, to be honest. I have responsibilities back home that I can't leave alone for anything."

"So what brought you back this time?" I asked. Lyra just let out a long breath, looking tired.

"Can we continue this tomorrow?" she asked, getting back in the bed. "I'm pretty tired." I shrugged. My brain needed a little time to process the Ferines in my bed thing as well.

"Would you like something to sleep in?" I asked, grabbing a shirt out of my dresser for her. She nodded, taking the shirt and disappearing under the covers for a second from which her dress and bra emerged, landing on the floor. I was already wearing my shirt and shorts like I normally did when relaxing at home. Lyra held the blankets up for me to climb in beside her at which she pulled herself up against me, exhaling a satisfied breath.

"I was worried that I might not find you when I first showed up," she whispered. "It was really cold."

"Well you found me so don't let it bother you," I said absently, closing my eyes. Lying there, Lyra's back pressed into me peacefully, I thought about the Teriques that had been flitting around in my head. Oddly enough none were blue or orange, the only two that the game ever showed. By women of course. If I remembered things right, the men seemed to have Teriques in the shapes of Zephers, which were actual enemies at times in the game. Weird how this was cropping up suddenly. The whole thing was weird, but she said she would explain tomorrow so for now...

"Lyra?" She instantly turned over, bringing us face to face.

"Hmm?"  
"You're not really that tired are you..." She grinned a little predatory grin.

"Not really."

xxx

"You didn't need to be so sneaky you know," I said, as I made us breakfast. Ham and cheese omelets. Lyra looked sheepish again.

"Thought you might not be interested." I looked at her incredulously.

"There would be something wrong with me if that was true," I said, shaking my head.

"Good, because I really needed that." I looked over at my guest. It was bizarre how comfortable it felt with here here, even though I had spent a grand total of less than twenty four hours with her in my life.

"Are there no good guys back home?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "Cause, let's be real here, I don't think any guy would say no to a night with you."

"It's not that simple," she said before she suddenly started laughing. "You honestly have no idea."

"Try me."

"Well to start you are already assuming that the culture of my people is the same as yours which it isn't," she said pointedly. "But it's something else entirely really. I promise I'll tell you then next time I see you, sound good?" She was still smiling.

"Hmm, I suppose I am being a little ignorant here," I said with a frown. "Sorry about that."

"It's alright, I'm certainly ignorant enough about your world," she said with a shrug.

"So, care to continue where we left off last night?" I asked, placing a plate of food in front of her. She frowned at her omelet.

"I need help."

"With what?"

"I want you to help save someone. Well, two someones really. I want them to _both_ live happily." I stared into her eyes for a few seconds.

"You're going to have to tell me more than that," I said, crossing my arms.

"I'm what you would call a seer, a mystic?" she shrugged and continued. "It's given me a rough understanding of what's to come, among other things," she added, waving her hand around. I figured she was talking about the multiple worlds thing. "As for where this power comes from, I can only assume it's a very rare blessing from Nerifes. There are few others with it, and they are all near the end of their time. I'm actually seen as something of a prodigy among them because I have awakened the ability even though I'm only twenty. None of the others can jump between worlds like I can either. It would likely kill them."

"You're twenty?" I said interested. Lyra looked at me blankly.

"Do I not look it?" Danger, Will Robinson, danger. I put up my hands in peace.

"Of course you do," I said quickly. "I was just wondering exactly how old you were because sometimes you act very mature for your age and other times like a regular girl. It gives the impression that you're a bit older." Lyra considered this for a moment before nodding in acceptance. Danger averted I leaned back into my chair. "You were saying?"

"Right, well even though I'm young I have seen things that will come to pass if nothing is done. Nightmares of horrible things..." she closed her eyes. "You said that my world exists in yours as a game? What did you mean by that?"

"Well," I said feeling _really_ damn awkward now, "video games are pretty much interactive stories that people play out while controlling one or more characters within that story." I paused, wondering how to continue. "Tales of Legendia... is a story about the rise of a new Merines which sparks a war between the Orerines and the Ferines I suppose, though the Ferines lose and the Cataclysm is prevented. It's an excellent story," I added, thinking about the game itself. There was a reason it was one of my favorites.

"Then you know what I'm talking about," she said, looking grim.

"So you want me to help you change them? Why? The game didn't have an awful ending or anything like that. I mean it certainly didn't pull a Drakenguard out of the air."

"Drakenguard?"

"Never mind, you don't want to know," I said quickly.

"Well without doing anything it will work out for both sides, but not for those girls, and they are the ones I want to save. More than even the world." It suddenly hit me who she must be talking about.

"You want to save Stella," I said, thinking of the scene where she dies. "Then that would mean the other girl is Shirley, right?" Lyra blinked for a moment then nodded. "Not going to lie but that's really risky."

"I know," she said miserably. "We are told to not try to alter the future, no matter what we see. Even that it cannot _be_ changed. Still," she looked up, eyes fierce, "I have to try!"

"And that's what you need me for?" I asked feeling confused. How did I fit into this?

"I'm aware of how difficult what I ask you is. If it is actually possible, in saving Stella you would be altering the course of the future and could potentially cause the Ferines to destroy all of the Orerines. Still, I want to at least try. For their happiness, and their futures."

"And you need me to do it?"

"I think if anyone can figure out how to make it happen, you can," she said, bringing her eyes up to meet my own, her bangs hanging low enough to almost block them. They were filled with the utmost faith. _Ah don't look at me like thaaaat. God she's attractive._

"How do you think I can help though?" I asked, trying not to do anything rash.

"I never told you my true name did I?" she asked. Giving a negative she said, "I actually have two. The one that I got when I gained my Teriques was Xelares, which equates to "of the unknown". However I was given another true name by the other mystics. They call me Tennes. It means "one who travels", but a special kind of traveling. I will send you to the Legacy. I won't be able to control precisely where or when you land but I promise it will be before the war breaks out." Well it made sense. If she could get here and back she could potentially send others.

"So for all I know I could just pop up and the next day they're marching for the bridge?" I asked grimly.

"Yes," said Lyra with a nod. "Though that would really be the worst case scenario. There's a much greater chance for you to land near the start of it all, and even a slight chance you may end up before it all begins."

"And then what? You really think I can somehow save her?" My mind was already buzzing with possibilities of how this whole thing could go wrong.

"I would only ask that you try."

"What about getting back?" I pressed. I was intrigued, certainly, by the opportunity to go into a video game, if in fact this weren't just some big trip I were having. I'd never done drugs before though so it wasn't like I had anything to base this off of. I certainly hadn't seen the Trix bunny yet. "I don't want to be stuck there. I have a life here."

"I know, and it shouldn't be a problem as long as you find another mystic. With the power of Nerifes they could send you back."

"What about you?" I asked, confused.

"I don't know if I'll be alive to meet you again, that far in the future," she said sadly. "My world is much more dangerous that yours."

"Wha- don't talk like that," I said angrily.

"Don't let it bother you, I'll do my best," she said with a smile. "Now let me finish. Like I said, you should be able to be sent back to your world and your time by having another mystic from my world assist you. There is always one in every generation, if not two, though they are always female. Find her and she will help you. Of course I'll do my best to be that person."

"I still haven't said yes you know," I said.

"That's okay. Now I have a gift for you." Lyra held up her hand and a miniature version of her Teriques appeared over it. "I will give you the means to fight." I looked at her blankly before being struck with the thought.

"You mean Eres?" I asked incredulously. She nodded.

"What I'm going to do is merge my Teriques with you. This will manifest in your body the ability to use some type of eres. Iron or Crystal I am not sure which, but regardless you will have the means to fight. With luck you'll have time to train a bit and discover your potential whatever it is, though I do not feel worried about that." Lyra smiled. "You would also do well to learn how to fight in general, if you don't already. All Erens manifest their eres through their weapons and personal fighting styles. I'm sure you'll figure it out," she added, grinning at my slack jaw.

"You sound pretty confident in my abilities for all that I'm an average person," I said with a sigh. This was sounding _waaay_ harder than it originally looked. Lyra just shrugged

"I'm sure you can take care of yourself," she said with a grin. "Can you fight?"

"A little," I shrugged. I lived literally next door to a mixed martial arts gym which I had been going to a couple times a week ever since I moved into my apartment a year ago. It was good exercise. Yeah I could take care of myself but there was a big difference between taking on the average Joe in this world who had the combat ability of a twig, and the average Joe in a video game, where _everything_ could kill you.

"What happens, if I don't succeed?" Lyra looked at me.

"You only get one shot at this, time will not flow backwards for you," she said. "If you are unable to save them then at least I am left with the comfort that you did your all."

"Oi, would you stop making it sound like you're just going to fall over dead?" I said, attempting at some wry humor. Lyra just smiled softly and pushed the Teriques into my chest. I didn't feel anything but Lyra teetered precariously.

"Hey!" I said, grabbing her by the shoulders as she hung there limply. "I was kidding, what did you just do?" She chuckled weakly.

"Present, weren't you listening?" I sighed heavily.

"I didn't say yes yet."

"Meaning you were going to say yes later, right?"

"At least let me get there on my own," I said in exasperation. Try as I might I couldn't get mad at the girl. "So now assuming this hasn't been some bizarre dream, I can use Eres now?"

"It's not a dream, Shayne, though I understand that you would be skeptical," she said. "You won't develop the ability until I send you back to my world, though I'll admit I don't know what's really going to happen, or if it even worked. I don't think anyone else has ever done what I've just done."

"So when do we leave?" I asked, sitting back down in my chair. "You're going to send me sometime before the war and you need to get back to your own time right?" Lyra nodded.

"Well, I just put everything I had into what I gave you, so not until I recover."

"Meaning..."

"We'll be here until I recover my strength," she elaborated. "Where's your bathroom by the way?"

xxx

It felt like no time at all that we were climbing in bed for the night. She could have managed it that night but she wanted to sleep first to be sure. We spent the rest of the day in relative peace. Lyra took a few baths to regain her energy. I cooked us our meals and we talked about our respective worlds.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked, once again with her back tucked into my body. Her voice was nervous.

"Yeah why not," I said with a shrug. "It's not every day an attractive girl from a video game asks you to save someone by going into said video game. Especially not one who's such a great kisser."

"You still don't completely believe me do you."

"Well at a certain base level I don't think I can until it actually happens," I admitted. I mean seriously what did she expect.

"Understandable," she said, turning a bit to face me. "I trust you, and so will they." She yawned heavily.

"I hope you're right."

"Of course I am," she said confidently. She turned back on her side and cuddled closer. Eventually her breathing became soft and steady. I closed my eyes, wondering what the next day would bring, slipping away into darkness.

XxxxX

**A/N: **And so the Earthly time ends. Next time real ANs at the end.


	3. Welcome to Werites Beacon

I opened my eyes slowly, staring up at a black ceiling. _Well that's not my ceiling_. I moved my arms around feeling a stone wall to my right and empty air to my left. _And this isn't my bed. _I could hear the sound of my breathing off of the close walls. Turning my head to the side I found myself looking at a number of black iron bars, stretching from the floor to the ceiling. I was in jail. _Alone _in jail. Lyra was gone. Grunting I sat up, a light blanket sliding off of my chest and onto the floor. I was still wearing the sport shorts and t-shirt from the night before...

I jumped to my feet and ran up to the bars, looking around. Of course I recognized this place, even from within the cell I could tell I was in the jail basement of Will Raynard, town Sheriff and local historian.

"Did she seriously do it?" I breathed, running my hands along the bars as if trying to make sure they were real. I banged my head into one slowly with a solid clang. Yep, real bars. Suddenly the world pitched sideways and I found myself on the ground. My body seared with pain. What was going on. My vision grew hazy as I fought to remain conscious. Within a minute it was gone, like it had never happened. I stood up shakily and looked around. Still alone. _God what the hell was that? I need to sit down and think. _The basement was chilly so I grabbed the blanket and sat back down on the stone bench that I had been sleeping on.

_Okay, let's just go with the assumption that this is all real,_ I thought. _Then it looks like Lyra got me here. Did she do it while I was asleep? _I closed my eyes for a second. That would have to wait until later._ I was found near or in Werites Beacon. If I was put in here for Will to look after and question then he's probably around the town which at least means the war isn't in full swing. At least I hope so._ I kept my ears open to make sure I would hear if someone was coming. _I need to be able to move around freely and think about this more thoroughly but first things first, what do I say about myself? Amnesia really is the best way to plow through most of it, as cliché as it is. I'll use my name at least. I can't give anything away when I see anyone, same thing when I move around the town. I'm not supposed to have been here before._

"Oh, look at that you've finally woken up." I jumped in surprise, nearly falling off the bench. An old woman was standing in front of the bars, gazing in at me. She must be Madame Musette. Deja vu much? _Damn she's quiet. Well no time like the present._

"Why am I in here?" I asked. "Where am I?"

"You were found on the edge of the town and we didn't know what to do with you so we brought you to be checked out by our Sheriff," said the kindly woman. "I'm sorry about the bars. This is Werites Beacon. Are you alright? You didn't look injured when we found you but considering how you were..."

"Then I guess you wouldn't happen to know who I am would you," I said, leaning back against the wall. She shook her head, puzzled.

"Damn, well that makes two of us," I said disgruntled. I made an act of rubbing my head. "A fine time to not know who I am, considering I'm in jail."

"Oh dear, have you lost your memories?" the woman asked, looking concerned. "I should really get Will. He'll want to know that you're awake."

"Hey what's your name!" I called quickly before she started climbing the steps to the left. She poked her head back in front of the bars.

"Oh forgive me, I'm Madame Musette. Do you remember yours?"

"Shay? Shade? Shayne, that's it," I said after a few seconds, frowning. "Shit this is frustrating," I grumbled, hands on my head.

"Alright Shayne, I'll be right back with Will." Musette made her way up the steps, and I let out a breath. _God that was lame. But I guess it worked. Lucky for me it wasn't Will who talked to me first, he's pretty sharp. _Within a minute I could hear footsteps making their way down the steps.

"...and from what he's told me it doesn't look like he knows much more than just his name."

"Amnesia is a convenient excuse for a criminal who's been caught," said a deeper, male voice. I quickly forced down a smile as the group parent walked in front of the cell. He was slightly taller than me at six foot two, wearing his standard fitted orange outfit with the black fitted leggings. They looked like they were made of a leather like material. I've seen concept art of the guy before but to see him in person was pretty nuts. I mean the guy was _cut_. I had no problem seeing him one-hand hammers the size of a mid sized child.

"I take it you're Will?" asked, still sitting on the bench.

"That's right, I'm Will Raynard, sheriff of Werites Beacon, among other things," he said, pushing his glasses higher up on the bridge of his nose. "I've been told your name is Shayne."

"Pretty sure it is yeah," I said with a shrug. "Well at least when I think about names I know that's the only one that comes up, so I'll have to assume it's mine." Will grabbed a chair from the back wall and sat in it.

"I have to say, you're more than a little suspicious," he said. "From what I've been told you were found unconscious at the edge of town with no equipment, no bags, nothing but what you're wearing now. That could speak to being robbed, but you also have no injuries and for all intensive purposes seem to be in perfect health."

"The last thing I remember is a drifting of to darkness and then I woke up in one of your master bedrooms," I said, somewhat truthfully. It was after all the very last thing I remembered. "And with nary but a name floating in my head."

"You seem pretty upbeat for someone who lost their memories," said Will pointedly. I shrugged again.

"Being upbeat's fun. Plus, would you rather I be sobbing on the ground and giving you a headache? I'm sure I'm not the only thing you have to worry about in this town, being the Sheriff." At that Will grinned.

"Well you're right about that." He looked over at Musette. "Well what do you think?"

"He seems harmless enough," she said with a smile.

"Alright, Shayne," said Will. "The people of Werites Becaon are friendly and the type to always give a person a chance. I'm no different. You haven't done anything for me to keep you in there and I'm not particularly fond of keeping anyone down here to begin with. Then I have to make sure you're fed." I laughed.

"Well thanks for the benefit of the doubt," I said. He unlocked the door and I stepped out. Will looked me up and down and sighed, staring at my bare feet.

"Follow me upstairs I'll find you something to wear," he said. We walked up the steps and into the main part of the house, a huge wide open room with polished wooden floors, a large seating area to the left and a small kitchen area to the right. There were a number of windows along the far walls, letting in bright sunlight. It looked like it was the middle of a perfect day. "Musette if you could keep Shayne here company?"

"Don't worry I won't rob you blind," I said, more than happy to sit on the couch. I absolutely loved Will's house. When I first played through this game I actually took the time to make a blueprint of the place so that if I ever became wealthy enough to build my own home I could build this one. Simply being here was mind blowing in itself. "Do you help Will with his Sheriff duties often?" I asked Musette. The more I talked to people the more I would 'learn'. I needed to get as far away from being a clueless amnesiac as fast as possible.

"Whenever he locks someone away I tend to help him take care of whoever it is," she said with a smile. "He is relied upon so much by this town I don't know what we'd all do without him."

"You don't say," I said, an idea forming in my head. "Do people get locked up much?" Musette shook her head.

"Oh no, only when something really bad happens or a special case like yours," she said. "You're actually the first person to be in one of those cells for nearly three years. Werites Beacon is a very peaceful place." I blinked, relief pouring out of my body like I was deflating. That meant Senel hadn't been locked up for causing a commotion at the fountain. It looked like I was here _before_ the game started. However that only further served to reinforce the notion of the existence of the world I was in. I was living a part of something that hadn't been developed by the game creators and yet it was as natural as anything. It was mind boggling.

"Well that's good to hear," I said with a smile. "Werites Beacon sounds like a nice town. It must be nice to live here."

"It is," said Will, emerging from the doorway next to the kitchen area. From my memory I knew that that doorway led to an open stairway to the second floor where the two bedrooms were. He walked over and dropped a pile of clothing on the table. "I've got too much stuff that I never wear, the tailors in this town are always giving me things. You're also my size so it should all fit. Just pick some stuff out so you don't have to walk around like you just got out of bed. There's a bathroom down that hall," he added, pointing to the other end of the room. I grabbed the large armful of clothing and headed off to the bathroom with a thank you. This was going a lot better than I expected. After I picked some stuff out I could make my way around town and get to know things better. Also I could try to make a little money. Something told me it was unlikely monsters dropped items and money in this world like they did in the game.

I tried on everything. Privately this was probably the most fun I'd ever had in my entire life. Here go be a cosplayer with authentic outfits? Um, hell fucking yeah! On a more sane note, I couldn't have been luckier. Though I wasn't as muscular as Will was his things did fit like they were made for me. In the end I was wearing an outfit somewhat similar to what Will always wore (remember I _was_ wearing his stuff) but I didn't come out looking like Will Raynard 2.

To start I was wearing a very thin white undershirt, which was unnoticeable but for a tiny piece below my neck. The rest of my torso was covered in a fitted black shirt with thin red outlines along the edges and two longer tails that extended over my thighs. Unlike Will's shirt the sleeves went to my wrists instead of cutting off short. The core-like objects that were on Will's shirt were on mine as well, though in a completely different design. There was one directly over my heart, dark red with red lines branching out from it. The back was also drastically different. Instead of the single large core there were a series of smaller ones that went straight down my spine, smaller red lines branching out of those as well, though in a sickle like pattern. There must have been some clever padding built into the shirt because no matter how I twisted or bent my back I never felt any discomfort from the second spine I now had. I wondered how it would hold up to a blow. In any case, with any luck I wouldn't get knocked on my back that much.

My pants were black like Will's, though, considering what I had been handed, all of them were. It didn't bother me though, as it fit my color scheme well. There were no socks or shoes in the pile so I would have to ask will about that. It would be more than likely though that I'd need to buy my own. I had small feet for a guy. Looking down at myself I couldn't help but grin. This was the coolest thing I had ever worn in my entire life.

"Oh my," said Musette as I came back with the remaining clothing. She quickly covered her mouth with a hand though I could tell she was smiling. "Quickly give him a hammer."

"Very funny Madame Musette," said Will, shaking his head and looking me over. "He doesn't look like me at all, just a likeness from the shirt." Facing me he continued, "Actually I've never worn that shirt before. I figured it would do more harm than good to be dressed like that as a Sheriff. Plus it was too tight on my arms." He flexed his own as if that explained everything. It was a wonder his own shirt wasn't ripping everywhere.

"Do I really look that evil?" I asked, turning on the spot as I tried to look at my back. The spine of cores gleamed slightly. At least the black of the outfit didn't look so dark in the light of the bright room. Musette just laughed, giving up trying to hide it.

"No not at all dearest," she said. "At least not with a kind face like you have. People all over town will make the connection right away but eventually it'll go away. He's not a bad person to be compared to." Will just shook his head.

"Here," said Will tossing me a pair of dark socks. "You'll need shoes but I don't think you'll fit in any of mine. Slip into a pair of sandals by the front door and lets go to the shoe store, it's attached to the tailors place." Half way to the front door I staggered, my vision going hazy. Will instantly grabbed my arm in an iron grip, preventing me from falling. "You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, standing up straight and continuing to the door. Whatever it was it felt like I had been through the worst of it earlier. "Maybe its an after effect of what I went through recently?"

"Well just be sure to be careful," said Musette. "Will, I'm going to head back home."

"Alright, thank you for your help as always Madame Musette," said Will with a nod of thanks. She patted his arm.

"Of course, just get this young man some shoes and then give him a little fill in about some things so he isn't walking around blind. It's still a dangerous world beyond the walls of this quaint town."

"Of course," he said, holding the door open. A nice warm breeze touched my face as I secured the slightly too large sandals to my feet. "Come on Shayne, let's get this this done, I've got some other work I need to be doing."

XxxxX

Thirty minutes and nearly three dozen introductions later, Will and I sat outside a cafe. I was sporting a nice pair of durable shoes that would last me a long time. They were black of course, I couldn't help it.

"Alright, so let me get this straight," I said, looking at Will skeptically. "Were not on a continent, or even an island, but a _ship_?" Will nodded, understanding my disbelief.

"Yes and as I said, it's known as the Legacy, a remnant of the Kingdom of Terises. Oddly enough, the ship moves on its own. Right now the Legacy is neutral ground. Though it is watched over by the the Holy Rexalian Empire. Werites Beacon really is the only large settlement on the entire ship, though much of it has yet to be explored extensively by anyone other than treasure hunters and scholarly explorers."

"I see. Anything else I should know before you loose me on the world?" I asked. Will just shook his head.

"Not really. I'd stick to town until you get your feet back under yourself. Especially since you don't have any equipment. You could probably make it to Port-on-Rage without too much trouble if you stuck to the road and ran fast enough, though I wouldn't suggest it. If you need anything just come stop by my place, it's easy enough to find and anyone could tell you where it is." He stood up.

"Thanks Will, I'll see you around." He set off in a random direction, getting back to whatever he normally did during the day. I was sure that a lot of it was more historian than Sheriff, seeing as how peaceful this place was. It was too bad that wouldn't last for very long.

I had no real way of figuring out how long I had until the sequence of events started. But I still had a number of things to do to prepare myself. Namely getting my hands on some sort of weapon and training. Though that wouldn't likely happen unless I got some money. Ugh, even in this world not having money sucked hugely. Will had left me with a thousand gald, quite generous if you ask me. I could probably get myself a sword. After years of collecting them as a kid I could use a blade well enough at least not to kill myself on one. Of course I had no formal training but that could change with a little time and effort.

"Jesus who am I kidding, I can't get video game good with weapons just like that..." I muttered, making my way through town. _But I need to remember this _isn't_ a video game anymore. All my senses are telling me this is the real deal. I don't know how much time I have but I need to think of a plan to save Stella first. She's already connected to the ship, controlling it as she pleases and I'm sure it'll be soon that I see that light in Raging Bay._

"Get out you damn fool!" I turned a corner to see a young man getting chased out of a store. My mental map of the city, plus the sign out front told me it was the weapon and armor shop.

"Oh come on Mr. Blade, give me one more chance," begged the guy. "I promise I won't hold them the wrong way again."

"Damn right you won't, stay out of my shop!" He slammed the door behind him, but it opened shortly after. "And here's your damned helmet!" The burly man threw the helmet at the hapless guy who, unfortunately missed the catch and took the helmet straight between the eyes with a clang. He slumped to the ground unconscious. Mr. Blade, as the man had called him, just put a hand to his forehead and walked back inside. I quickly made my way to the door and walked inside with a nod of thanks to the man on the ground.

"Hey, would I be right to say you just fired him?" I asked, walking into the shop. Mr. Blade was half way to the opening between the two counters, which I remembered being filled in my play through, but then again, those shops weren't exactly designed with the lives of the shopkeepers in mind. He turned around and looked me up and down. I could see the armor shop owner leaning on his counter in interest. I figured they owned the building together.

"That's right, why? You looking for work?" asked Blade. I nodded. "What's your name kid?"

"Shayne."

"Tell me," said the armor shop owner, causing myself and Blade to look at him. "Where did you get that outfit?" I looked down at the black clothing.

"Courtesy of Will Raynard," I said with a grin. "You guys have a really nice Sheriff, giving clothes out to complete strangers in need."

"So you're the kid that was found on the edge of town eh?" I nodded. "I've heard he's lost his marbles," he said to Blade. I coughed.

"That's memories but yeah. I don't have anywhere to go and I'm not confident enough with my skills to leave the safety of the town, so I'd like to find some work and settle in for a bit. Who knows maybe while I work something will come back."

"Hmm," said Blade, looking me over with a frown. "Alright Shayne lift up that box and put it on the counter here." He pointed to a closed box by the door and back at the empty counter. I walked over to it.

"How fragile?" I asked. Blade just snorted.

"You serious kid? This is an arms shop, not a trinket store." I couldn't help but smirk. I liked his attitude.

"Just wanted to be sure," I said, giving the box a kick. It barely budged, suggesting it's weight. With a grunt I lifted it and carried it over to the counter and left it there. "So do I pass?"

"Well you didn't lift with your back like an idiot so you've retained at least one useful thing in your head," said Blade. Amazing how much character this guy had for a shop owner, an npc that usually had absolutely nothing to it. I couldn't wait to meet someone over the top... like Norma. Oh god even the thought... "Anyway," continued Blade, bringing me back to reality, "you're hired. You've got some strength from what I just saw but you're still a bit too lanky. We'll build you up as long as you last here. How long do you plan on staying in town anyway?"

"As long as I need to," I said evasively. "I'll know it's my time to set out when I see it. Don't worry though I'll let you know ahead of time."

"Well even if it's just a week it's good enough for me," said Blade, clapping me on the back. "Come on into the back of the shop and meet the rest of the crew. This is Shield, by the way, and I'm Blade."

"Pleasure," I said, shaking Shield's hand and following them to the back. We had to walk around a large circular pillar in the center of the back end of the shop. Stairs spiraled down to a basement. The temperature was rising rapidly.

"We'll see if you still think that after the day's over," said Blade. The basement of the building was, unsurprisingly, a forge. Two men just as big as Blade and Shield were working away, making whatever they were making.

"Hey guys, take a break for a sec and get over here," called Shield. The two men looked up and nodded, giving the bellows a good pump to keep it hot before they came over. "We fired that idiot earlier and not three seconds later this kid asked for his job. Name's Shayne. Shayne this is-"

"Smith and Forge right?" I asked. They all looked at me blankly. "I mean Blade and Shield, arms shop, blacksmith, so I just figured you know..." My voice died off awkwardly. Blade however cracked a grin.

"Got a good sense of humor he does," he said with a low chuckle. He pointed to the shorter of the two men. "You're Smith, and that makes you Forge," he finished, pointing at the other one.

"Oi come on, you can't just change our names like that," said Forge. Smith just hit him over the head.

"They're nicknames you anvil. I'll take mine with good graces. Nice to meet you Shayne, enjoy walking up those stairs empty handed while you still can." He laughed and pulled Forge back to their work. Blade just shook his head.

"Sorry Shayne, can't let you do that. Take that box of swords and follow me back up, we need to do some rearranging of the shop." Oh boy.

XxxxX

By the end of the day I was wiped. Still I felt proud of myself as I left the building. Though they were partners they did run separate shops. Blade's shop was called Champion and Shield's shop was called Phalanx. All together though most people referred to the building as the Armory. Aptly named. Before I left, Blade told me that he wanted me to focus my small amount of funds on eating well and that was it.

"Listen kid, right now you're working the light load I'd give a worker here. It's useful but not perfect. Still I need to build you bit by bit to get to the heavy stuff, so make sure you eat right. You'll be hungry when you leave here every day. Still I'm not evil. I know that you don't have anything to your name so here's what we'll do. Work hard for us and focus on training your body here and eating right out there and when it's time for you to set out I'll have Smith and Forge make you something nice, free of charge. The longer you work here and more I see you move around the better I'll know what to make anyway. You can't leave the town without a weapon." With luck I'd be able to stay a month or so before things got moving.

"Shayne, I hope I'm finding you well?" said a kindly voice I recognized.

"Madame Musette it's good to see you," I said tiredly. "What brings you to this side of town?"

"I was just finishing up a little late shopping," she said, motioning to bags held in her hands.

"Would you like a hand?"

"That would be lovely, thank you," she said, putting the bags down gratefully. As we made our way to the east side of town she asked me, "So how was your day?"

"Well I got a job working at the Armory," I said. "My arms feel like noodles after lifting all those crates. Ah your bags are no trouble, really" I reassured her before she could object.

"Well if you say so. Cliff and Owen are good men, I'm sure you'll do fine working under them." It took me a minute to realize she must be talking about Blade and Shield. I wondered which was which. "Have you found a place to stay?" she continued.

"No I figured I could try to arrange something at the inn," I said, thinking of Norma again. Musette just shook her head.

"Oh that won't do at all. Will has a spare room that he doesn't use at all. I'll talk to him about letting you use it." I looked over at her in surprise. I remembered Musette being kind but this was a bit much.

"Madame Musette you really don't have to," I said but she shook her head.

"Don't let it bother you," she said. "If it really becomes a problem you can go stay at the inn, though I was under the impression you didn't have the money to do such a thing anyway."

"Well when you put it that way..."

XxxxX

**A/N:** Here we are, the Legacy! Finally. I simply love Werites Beacon, best town ever. Anyone else crazy about Will's house too? Of course there are a lot of things that I'm taking liberties with in this fic, as you will be finding out about, though pretty much all of them have to do with turning game mechanics into real life mechanics. I don't think you'll mind that much. It's still an RPG so you should know how those go. Slower in the beginning and freakin crazy by the end, though this one gets a super crazy boost the moment you get Norma... sigh that girl.

Anyway, off I go attacking a video game I know very well in the most natural way that I would think of to literally do exactly the opposite of what the game was programmed to do. I promise you this will not last as a fic where I merrily tag along and play 'watcher' to everything the main party does. That's called playing the game. I've got a mission here and I will get it done. Of course, foreknowledge only goes so far. Cuz once you mess things up enough it all goes right out the window and it's a free for all.

Now I feel is a decent time to say, I'd love to hear your comments on anything, so don't hesitate to leave a review. I'll answer any question you have about anything. =D

Oh and any titles that I award Shayne will appear here in the A/N formatted exactly as they would be in Tales of Legendia =D

**The Deputy: The clothes may not always make the man, but they do when you look like Will Raynard. You're a sheriff in training. Just give the kid a hammer.**


	4. So it Begins

Four months passed without event. Seriously. Four of em. Might I start by saying that my life became increasingly filled with paranoia. When you go somewhere to do an important and dangerous job you arrive ready for action, at least mentally. That first day I might not have been prepared to act but I was ready to go. Then nothing happened. The longer you have to wait, the more it starts eating at you. Or at least, that's what was happening to me. From what I had found out about Will's tenure as the Sheriff, compared to his age when the game started I knew that it was close. Four months in and I felt like it would be happening tomorrow. Every day.

Of course, that isn't to say a lot hasn't happened since then.

Three weeks after arrival I finally forced myself to go the the fountain plaza at the heart of town. I'd been dying to go there simply because of how awesome the place looked and how much I liked fountains, but I really was dreading the Bantam Bouncers. Still, if I was going to do this then it would be good to have the them on my side. Or at least know who I am so I don't provoke a song like Senel was highly prone to doing. I had a half an hour for my lunch break at the Armory and I had a bag of sandwiches I'd bought from the grocery store. Fortunately the rules of that shop had changed as well.

The fountain plaza was a pretty piece of architecture, the hugely long and bridge like water chute that started way outside of town and emptied out in the fountain that was like an open lotus flower. Benches along the sides and grass growing at the edges it was a peaceful place to be.

"GooooOOOO BOUNCERS!" I sighed. _Almost_ peaceful. The townsfolk really got pumped by these two.

"Thank you! Thank you!" came a booming voice from the center. I saw Curtis and Isabella both bowing to the crowd as it dispersed. Maybe they did performances every day? I could never hear anything from the Armory, even though it was decently close to the fountain. "Hang on, I see a new face! Come, Isabella!"

"Yes, Curtis." The remaining crowd parted a bit to let the two through and within seconds I had Bantams in my face.

"Hey there, Brother!" said Curtis in a booming voice. "Never seen you before! What's your name?"

"Shayne," I said, taking a step back. "You two are Curtis and Isabella right? The Bantam Bouncers." Curtis puffed out his chest.

"You hear that Isabella? Our reputation precedes us!" I sweatdropped slightly. _Yeah that or I might have just been watching your performance..._ "So what brings you to Werites Beacon?"

"Ah they found me on the edge of town a few weeks back and I can't remember much so I've been living here in the mean time," I said easily. I had introduced myself to so many people in the past weeks that it was actually a bit of a surprise that the Bouncers didn't know who I was on sight. Werites Beacon was certainly much more densely populated than it had been in the game but news spread relatively quickly around here.

"Ah, that's right I've heard about you," he said, appearing to calm down slightly. "How goes the recovery?"

"Well apart from my memory everything's been going well. The town is taking good care of me," I said.

"Well if that's the case then come sing with us!" he boomed, energy back up to maximum. "Nothing like music to bring back lost memories! Isn't that right, Isabella?"

"Yes Curtis," she said calmly. I glanced at her and could see a small smile tugging at her lips. She really enjoyed doing that didn't she.

"I really would love to but I can't," I said quickly before Curtis could drag me away. "I'm on a short lunch brake right now and I've got to eat and get back to the Armory, as you can see." I motioned to my clothing. The things Will had given me were back at his place. These days I wore a work uniform that Blade dragged out of a back corner. I didn't want to get my good stuff messed up after all.

"Another time then," said Curtis, with no less energy. "Actually lunch sounds like a fantastic idea! To the bakery!" Isabella gave me a slight nod before following Curtis out of the plaza. They were trailed by the dance support and a few other random fans. The plaza was practically empty now. I sighed in relief.

"Ah dammit I must have used up half my time I need to eat!"

XxxxX

Work at the Armory was no less than completely intense. Blade and Shield, who I had soon remembered were brothers, barely ever gave me a moment to stop and breathe. Every day started with shifting the display stock to something different from the day before. That meant about 50% of everything in the shop was brought downstairs and replaced by something different. It was one of the finer points to their business strategy that if you brought new things out every day, not necessarily newly made but just different looking, then people would come back to the shop daily even if they didn't want to buy anything, just to see what was there. Obviously the more a person came to the shop, the greater the chance of something being sold. Suffice it to say it worked.

Not like the brothers had any other weapons and armor merchants to compete with. To keep things interesting they competed with each other fiercely. It brought out the best in both shops and was fun to watch so why not? I also worked heavily moving materials around for Smith and Forge downstairs. The building had a number of store rooms in the basement filled to the brim with materials and their production went much smoother with someone bringing them things. All of it was heavy. _All of it._

By the second month working there Blade had me working his heavy jobs. Apparently I did a good job of building my strength, but in all honesty anyone would get stronger from lifting insanely heavy things all day. One day, when business was slow, Blade called me up from the basement for something new.

"Let's have a little fun eh?" he said, grabbing two long swords from behind his counter. They were both dull but had real weight to them.  
"Fun?"

"Business is slow today and I still don't know much about your abilities. Remember I said I'd have something made for you? Well I've gotta know what to make don't I?" he said walking into the main part of the shop.

"Um are you sure we should do this in here? I don't want to break anything," I said. Yeah, like myself. Blade just rolled his eyes.

"Look, I'm good enough that you certainly won't hurt me, won't hurt you too bad, and you _can't_ break anything in here it's an _armory_. Good? Now come at me!" Fine. Gritting my teeth I ran forwards, sword raised high and chopped down at Blade's chest. He blocked it solidly, my arms vibrating from the impact. "Not bad but you let up a bit at the end," he said, pushing my sword away like it was paper and tapping me not so lightly in the side while I was off balance. "Make sure you don't loosen your grip when you strike or you'll feel the attack instead of me. Now block!" He chopped sideways at my left arm which I blocked quickly and retaliated. I could never get close but eventually I got into a rhythm, blocking and striking.

"He's not bad," said Shield, who was observing from the side. "But he'll never get anywhere like that."

"Ah you noticed it too?" asked Blade, looking over at his brother while I tried to attack his legs unsuccessfully.

"Something you two wanted to share with me?" I asked, moving back out of Blade's range.

"You're more attacking my weapon then me," said Blade simply. "You won't ever win a battle like that."

"Ever fought for your life before, Shayne?" asked Shield. I shook my head.

"I don't think so, no," I said, though the truth was absolutely not.

"Thought so," he said with a shrug. "It's no wonder you ended up like you did."

"Cut me some slack I'm still new to this," I said tiredly. Swinging a sword around was not something I was used to. Thankfully I didn't feel the weight of the thing too much, it was just the rapid changes in direction from swinging it around.

"Alright, put that on the the counter I've got one more thing for you to try," said Blade, moving behind the counter again and rummaging around. He straightened after a few minutes and tossed me two foot long metal rods with cross guards.

"What's this?" I asked, looking at the two metal crosses.

"Dagger cores," he said. "They're good for helping newbies practice smithing daggers. They're sturdy and won't break on a sword so don't worry."

"So you're going to still use the sword?" I asked. He nodded.

"I can use other weapons well enough but I can't train or test anyone without a sword," he explained, taking position in the center of the shop again. "I'd have given you dull daggers if I had a pair but I don't and real daggers are too dangerous for us both in a situation like this."

"Fair enough," I said. This time I let Blade attack me first. I blocked his downward strike with the dagger core pressed flat against my forearm, taking a stab with the right. He knocked my jab away with his sword and came at me again, this time from the side. I parried, locking the sword with the cross guard, and moved close my left hand darting up to place the metal rod against Blade's neck. He froze while Shield clapped.

"Nice one kid! You've lost your head Blade," laughed Shield. I separated from Blade and he looked at me with interest.

"You've got a good battle sense," he said approvingly. "It looks like you've done training with close combat like this before."

"Yeah hand to hand," I said without thinking. Catching my slip I continued, "Well that's what it feels like you know? They say muscle memory is deeper than the brain kind."

"Very true," said Blade with a nod, taking the dagger cores from me. "That was very informative, I've got some ideas..." He walked over to Shield and said a few things quietly in his ear. Shield's eyebrows rose.

"You think? That would be interesting..." he said after a second. "Haha this should be fun. Shayne we've got a lock on things up here and work to do. Go downstairs and help the other two out."

"Righto," I said with a shrug. I had no idea what they were planning but I trusted their judgment. After working for them for a number of weeks it was clear that they were masters at their craft. "Smith! Shield sent me to do something for you two," I said, making my way to the forge. Smith looked up and considered me for a second.

"I've got Forge doing some inventory for our own heads so why don't you pump the bellows for me. You'll want to take off your shirt, it's hot," he said.

"You sure I won't get hit by sparks or something?" He shook his head.

"No you'll be far enough away that it's fine. Trust me that corner gets really warm when you're standing there for a while. Nodding I walked around the workspace, pulling off the two layered top I was wearing and putting it on a bench. Smith rattled of basic instructions on keeping things at proper temperature without varying too much. "It's your first time so just listen to when I say go."

"Got it," I said. After about fifteen minutes Forge came back, mumbling numbers.

"Hey Shayne, woah!" he said suddenly causing both Smith and myself to turn around.

"What's up?" said Smith quickly but Forge was looking at me.

"That's a crazy tattoo you have on your back!" he said, excited. I looked at him baffled.

"What are you talking about?" I asked with a laugh, looking over my shoulder at my back. "I don't have- _what the hell is that!?_" Black lines covered most of my back that I could make out. I turned my head as far as it could go but I couldn't see it that clearly.

"Wow, never seen one like that before," said Smith, also interested, putting down his hammer. "Forge take over the bellows for him. Shayne go use the mirror by the stairs." There was a large full length mirror by the stairs that they used to get 360 degree views of their work. I ran over and turned my back to the mirror looking over my shoulder in wonder. How the _hell_ did I never notice this. There was no second way to look at it. I had a butterfly Teriques tattooed across my entire back. Unnoticeable from the front but the moment I turned... It was just as intricate as the ones I'd seen before. Even the one that Lyra showed me, hovering above her palm serenely. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if it was identical to that particular one.

This was the result of her merging her Teriques with me? She did say that she had no idea what would happen. I narrowed my eyes in frustration. The damn girl had sent me here while I was asleep, before we could talk more in the morning or even let me say a proper goodbye and take care. It bit at me. Why break it off so sharply when there was something there? I knew there wasn't much to say; the situation was what it was. But she did say that she had been thinking about him over those two years. And it certainly didn't change the fact that I really wanted to see her again. She never even told me how far into her future I was being sent, though something told me it wasn't just a few years. For all I knew she was in her forties or even older. Damn, that would just suck.

"Hey, Shayne, you alright?"

"What? Yeah I'm fine," I said, pulling my shirt back over my head. _Don't mind me, I'm just being bitter about a crush._ I looked at my back once more before fully pulling the shirt on. _A really,_ _big crush._ If my friends from home ever heard about me being like this over a girl I'd never hear the end of it.

"Did you really not know that was there?" asked Smith in confusion. I nodded.

"Well, I lost my memories recently and never thought to look at my back. I don't really pay much attention when I'm in the bath either, it's just mindless." Forge nodded in understanding, though I figured that was because he understood being mindless really well. "I wonder where I got it?" Smith just shrugged.

"Now that I've got Forge back here to help, take those finished pieces that have cooled up to Blade for a look over for me," he said, returning to his hammering. "Tell him they're ready for special orders. He'll know what to do with them."

"Righto."

XxxxX

Surprisingly I didn't meet Jay until the beginning of the third month. He was neck deep in information about the entire Legacy, so I had thought that I would meet him within a day or two of showing up. But no, I suppose I was low priority.  
"Hello, I was wondering if you could help me?"

I was out on the floor in the Armory. After being here for two full months Blade and Shield apparently thought I knew enough about their products to be able to help customers on them. Of course, Blade had forced me to spar with him using almost every different kind of weapon he sold, and Shield had forced me to put on various pieces of armor so I would know what it felt like. Heavy armor sucked. Occasionally Shield even had me walk around the shop wearing gauntlets and grieves with the rare breastplate or something of the like to show the stuff off.

Today however was a normal day and, it was on this particular normal day that I found myself face to face with the pale skinned sixteen year old, Jay the Unseen. It was a bizarre experience. I first played Tales of Legendia when _I _was their age. Now I was seven years older and a foot taller to boot. It was amusing that Jay was the same height at my mom.

"Hey kid, what can I help you with?" I asked, grinning down at him. His outfit was simply eye popping. I suppressed a laugh as I thought of what an interaction between him and Naruto would look like. Orange ninja meets purple one.

"I'm looking for a new dagger," he said, in the confident tone of voice I knew so well.

"Well you've come to the right place, or well the only place I guess," I amended with a shrug. "Do you have any specific needs for the dagger. Throwing kind, weighted a certain way, anything like that?" Jay frowned for a second the held out a hand. A dagger was suddenly sitting in it. I didn't even see him move.

"If it could be weighted like this one then that would be best," he said, holding it out for me to take. I took it and gave it a flip. It was well balanced and was heavier than it looked.

"Alright come with me and I'll give you a couple to try out," I said, walking to one of the walls on the weapon side of the store. The Armory itself was much larger than the game version. The size of this shop actually made sense for a town of this size, and had customers in and out of it every day, from weapon enthusiasts to cooks who needed a good edge on their knives. We stopped in front of a large display of dozens of daggers. Because they were relatively small compared to other weapons we could display so many of them at once. It also gave a very overwhelming impression to anyone who wanted to pick one though. As I started looking through the daggers Jay started talking to me.

"I haven't been in town in the Armory for a while," he said, watching me work. "Are you a new worker here?"

"Yeah I got hired on three a couple months back," I said. "You've probably heard of me as the amnesia guy they found a few months ago."

"Ah so that was you," said Jay, his voice light and curious. "Have you remembered anything yet?"

"Unfortunately not," I said with a sigh. "Oh by the way, what's your price range looking like? I've got some cheaper options and then some real daggers," I said evenly. Jay just shook his head.

"The quality of a weapon can be the difference between life and death," he said calmly. "It would be embarrassing to be killed by a stupid bandit or something because your weapon wasn't that good. Don't let price choose for you."

"Ever had any experience with stupid bandits?" I asked, keeping my face plain. Jay shook his head with his hands up in a shrug.

"No but you hear enough about them these days don't you," he said with a small sigh, as it pitying their lack of intelligence. He was right enough about hearing about bandits. Moses and his gang were often hot news across town. "I'd rather avoid them all together though. I like to surround myself by much more pleasant company."

"Wise of you," I said with a grin. _Though I think you mean furry and otter-like._ "How about this one?" I handed him a dagger.

"Balance is good but it's a bit too heavy, do you have anything lighter?" I nodded and replaced the dagger with another one. We went back and forth for a few minutes, talking about grip and weight before I handed him a different one. This one had a slightly boxier shape. Jay played with it a bit before smiling. "I like it."

"It's a sturdy blade," I said in agreement. "Let's take it over to Blade and he'll get it live for you." It was a rule that all weapons that went up on display were not sharpened. It allowed people to test them out for their weight and feel without the danger of some idiot killing himself. Once you bought a weapon Blade sharpened it himself in the workspace he had behind the counter. Store policy.

"Good choice," said Blade, looking at the dagger. "That'll be two thousand gald." Jay handed over the money without complaint and I couldn't help but wonder what the cut off age was for buying weapons. Apparently it wasn't sixteen. Blade likely didn't even know Jay's age. "Alright, let me just sharpen this for you. It's made to hold an edge for a good long time."

"Keeping it sharp won't be a problem," said Jay easily. I figured he was talking about the Oresoren crafts uhh otters. A few minutes later I was walking the ninja kid to the door.

"Thanks for your business, do come again," I said with a small bow. Jay looked down at the dagger in his hand and suddenly it was gone, his hands empty as could be.

"Thanks for your help," he said with a smile. "I never got your name?"

"It's Shayne," I said. A heavy box thumped behind me grabbing my attention for a second. "I never got yours either...?" But Jay was gone. I knew I wouldn't find him outside either. "Clever, clever."

XxxxX

"Will, how did you find out you were a crystal eren?" I asked. It was finally nearing the beginning of my _fifth _month living in Werites Beacon. Blade and Shield had given me the past three days off closing the shop all together. I had no idea what was going on but I'd find out when I got there a little later. They told me to come by wearing what I had on the very first day I met them. I had spent the past few days helping Will with some of his Sheriff work. He was glad for the help. People seemed to be on edge lately for some reason and the occasional fight had broken out. I usually stepped in and set everyone involved straight with a few well placed knocks to the head. It's not like a years worth of mixed martial arts and four full months working at the Armory were lost on me. If it got too bad Will would step in. No one liked messing with an eren, especially Will. Right now dark clouds could be seen towards the bow of the ship in the distance. The Legacy seemed to be heading straight for a storm.

"Ah how did I find out?" he repeated, thinking back with a frown. "I think what happened was a few friends of mine and I were going around on some rough terrain back on the mainland. I was probably eight?" He considered this for a moment before nodding. "Yeah about that age. One kid fell badly and broke his ankle, it didn't look good. I kind of panicked and suddenly I healed him."

"Just like that?" I asked surprised. He nodded.

"Why do you ask?" he asked, curious.

"I've been trying to figure out if I was an eren and just couldn't remember," I said with a frown. "Is that even possible?"

"Being an eren is a mysterious thing," said Will after a second of thinking. "I suppose it's possible but I'm not sure how it would work. When I want to use an eres I just do it. Sorry I've never really given it much thought before. It's interesting though, maybe I will..." I could see the researcher's gleam behind Will's glasses.

"Well don't go too crazy," I said with a laugh. "I'm going to head over to the Armory, Blade wants me there. What are you up to now?"

"Monster activity up by Lumen Spring has apparently been getting a little out of hand lately so I'm going to head up there to see if it really is an issue or just a rumor," he said. "I've got another matter than needs taking care of but this really takes precedence."

"Well that explains why you've got the hammer," I said with a shrug. "You need backup?"

"Thanks for the offer Shayne but I'm more than a match for anything around there," said Will, hefting the hammer onto his shoulder. "Do me a favor and keep an eye on things while I'm off. I'll be back shortly anyway." I waved him off and headed over to the Armory, wondering exactly what Blade wanted.

"Blade?" I called as I stepped inside the shop. No one was upstairs but I could see the faint glow of the forge reflected on the very back walls past the counters. "Hey Blade I'm here!"

"Down here kid!" I walked to the back and down the wide twisting stairs to find myself facing all four men, who were standing around a table.

"What are you guys looking at?" I asked, joining the circle.

"They're your weapons kid," said Blade. I blinked and looked down. Sitting on the table were two thick black rods a little longer than my forearm. A few inches from one end of each rod protruded a handle sticking out at a ninety degree angle.

"... tonfas?"

"Pretty sweet am I right?" I just stood there jaw slightly slack as I tried to process my new weapon. I just cleared my throat and let out a steady breath.

"Well then, if you'll excuse me I'm going to go get a sword-"

"Not so fast you bum," said Blade cheerfully, grabbing me before I could leave. "You know that I wouldn't give you something I didn't think you could use to the best of your ability. You're wasted on a sword, we both know that."

"I suppose you're right, at least about the sword."

"Listen Shayne," said Blade, his voice becoming serious, "We all put a lot of thought into this and we all agree that these are the best for you. You're strong, but you're also speedy. You need something quick like a dagger, but can take hits just as well like a piece of armor. See the caps on the ends?" I looked to see that they ended in flat but still defined looking points. "Those will go through someone's head like it's paper with the right amount of force, and after all the lifting you've been doing I think you'll manage fine."

"Damn guys I'm not trying to crack skulls with these," I said quickly. "I just want to be able to protect myself and knock people out of the way occasionally."

"That's fine," said Shield. "They're non lethal weapons that can be turned into lethal ones if need be."

"I am sorry it took so long," said Blade apologetically. "We've been working to give them more but we haven't figured everything out yet. Still just hang onto those until we can give you the real deal." I picked them up, spinning each one instinctively. I'd seen people use tonfas before and I'd played with like weapons in the MMA gym for fun. I looked down at the real deal in my hands. They felt _solid_.

"Also, I made you these," said Shield, holding up a pair of armor shin guards. They were a dark metal that didn't seem to reflect light at all. "Figured you'd like a little armor for your legs in addition to the piece you've got on your torso." Blade was helping me fit on the x-like belt that would hold my tonfas, which was made of dark leather and the same material that the shin guards were made of. It honestly looked like two belts connected together.

"What armor on my torso?" I asked, feeling my chest.

"Didn't Will tell you what he gave you kid?" asked Shield in surprise. "That's armor! I'm the one who made it, just like I made his favorite orange one. That spine down your back can take an ax without breaking, though I'm not too sure how your back would fair. Try not to get hit too much." I looked back in the mirror, x-belt around my waist, tonfas secure, metal guards strapped to my shins. I was finally ready. Not that I felt ready. Now all that I needed was... I literally jumped a foot in the air before tearing up the steps. The bad weather, Will going to check out Lumen Spring, the months that had passed without incident. It had to be!

I burst out of the store to find myself facing a huge pillar of orange light, rising straight up into the sky.

"For god's sake what's gotten into you!?" shouted Blade, not two steps behind me. He and the other three spilled out into the street, staring at the light in wonder.

"Just wanted to see the light show," I said with a small sigh. "Looks like I'll be moving to part time for now."

"Heading out, eh?" said Blade, a frown creasing his face. He came over and put a hand on my shoulder. "Well there's nothing for it. You were a great help and you'll be sorely missed. I still owe you the final version of those things too," he added, pointing to the tonfas.

"I'm not going to be gone forever, but I'll be in and out of town for spells of time," I said. "When I'm around though it'd be great to still work at the shop." Blade just barked a laugh and slapped my back.

"Kid, you're welcome here any time. Just be sure to tell us some good stories of what you do." I looked back at the pillar of light. A whole mess of trouble was about to start and I was going to stick myself neck deep in it. I only hoped I wouldn't get myself killed.

"I will," I said.

XxxxX

**A/N:** There we go. So it begins. Hope y'all enjoyed the little interactions with the Bouncers and especially Jay. Don't ask where the tonfas came from. Seriously those guys just made them, showed them to me and forced me to leave with em. So good luck me.

Anyway looking forward to the start of the adventure with the group, though of course I've gotta work my way into it. Shouldn't be that hard though. See you next time =D


	5. Embark! To the Misty Mountains!

I stealthily watched Senel get knocked out by a well placed Lightning. It was a kick to watch from through a screen when I played the game. It was crazy from ten feet away in person. I ran up to Will a few seconds after the strike, not wanting to miss out on any more of the action. He asked me to go get Musette from her home and bring her over while he tossed Senel into the cell to let him cool off. Twenty minutes later I was sitting across the couch from Will as he filled me in on what had happened since we parted earlier.

"Wow, I never thought the Legacy could have such an interesting legend," I said, leaning back in my seat. "And to think it might actually be true."

"As a historian I know that all legends have some base in fact, though the amount is anyone's guess," said Will.

"So Senel here was trying to go save Shirley who was kidnapped by Moses, leader of the bandits, because he thinks she's the Merines," I summarized. "Well this sounds like a mess."

"It would certainly seem that way," said Will. "Senel though, he's hiding something, of that I'm certain. He definitely knows more than he's letting on."

"Shall we go check on him? I'm sure Musette's probably saying something embarrassing about you." Will chuckled and nodded.

We headed down to the basement together in time to hear Musette say, "It's good that he takes his job as sheriff so seriously, but sometimes he takes things a bit too far."

"Now, now, let's not be spreading falsehoods, Madame Musette," said Will with a small sigh. What can I say, when I'm right I'm right. We rounded the landing and joined the elderly woman in facing Senel's cell. "My real occupation is that of a natural historian. I never claimed to be a sheriff, not like anyone ever listens to me when I tell them though so..." he shrugged. Of course he had told me he was the sheriff, but he had explained later that it was just to make me nervous. Senel however slammed on the bars.

"Let me out of here!"

"Seems like you still haven't learned your lesson," said Will, crossing his arms. Musette took a step forward.

"Will told me about the situation. Would you mind if I asked you a question?" Senel looked at her quietly. "What exactly is your relationship to Shirley?" Senel's eyes moved to the floor. This must have been so hard on him to keep calm when he had devoted years of his life to keeping Shirley safe.

"Shirley's... she's... my little sister," he said after a moment, all the fight going out of him.

"I see," said Musette, tilting her head slightly to the side. "Then you must go save her, mustn't you? Will, why don't we let Senel go?" Will looked at Musette in surprise.

"Are you serious?"

"He's just earnest, that's all," said Musette fondly. "He can't help but be anxious. When your sister is in danger, you must run to her immediately; no matter where she is or what stands in your way. That is what brothers do, is it not?" Will looked back at me for a moment but I just shrugged.

"Alright, but don't blame me if he stirs up trouble again," he said, unlocking the cell door. Senel looked just as surprised by the turn of events as Will looked disgruntled.

"Well then, why don't you accompany him?" suggested Musette. Will just looked at her flatly.

"Is that an order?"

"Just a suggestion," she said lightly. "Though now that I think about it... I think a certain spirited young lady also ran off to Moses' hideout."

"Chloe Valens went there?"

"Chloe Valens?" I asked, interjecting for the first time. Will turned to me.

"Originally my second point of business after Lumen Spring," he explained. "Did she go alone?" he asked Musette. She nodded.

"It would seem so. Do you think she'll be alright?" Will just hung his head.

"Great, now I'm a babysitter..." he grumbled. I patted him on the back lightly.

"Don't worry Will I'll come too," I said. "I've heard too much about those bandits to let you two go off on your own."

"An excellent idea," said Musette.

"I guess I don't have much choice," Will said after a second. He looked at Senel. "Very well, I will help you get your sister back, since I now seem to have other business there as well." Senel said nothing, looking between the three of us.

"Isn't that nice Senel?" prodded Musette. He shifted is weight a bit before finally stepping out of the cell.

"Um... thanks."

"You're quite welcome."

XxxxX

"Hang on you two, we should grab some supplies before we go," I said as we walked towards the entrance of town.

"We don't have time to waste on stuff like that!" said Senel impatiently. I looked at him in exasperation.

"Well if you really think you'll be able to save your sister after plowing your way through monsters and bandits _and_ Moses himself then by all means go for it," I said, stopping in front of the shop. "Just don't beg me for a gel."

"He had a good point Senel," said Will, pulling out some gald. "Shayne can you get me a few extra orange gels?"

"Yeah no problem." A minute later I was walking out of the shop with a number of gels not to mention a small dark colored pouch that would hold them all. It easily attached to my belt. "Here you go Will," I said, handing over three orange gels. The gels were really interesting items. As the game never showed them in proportion to anything else I had no idea how large they would be but it turned out they were about the size of large coins, smooth and almost gummy like. I had to resist the temptation to bite into one as soon as I bought them. Of course, with the foresight that I had about when we would be back in town next, and the knowledge that this time would _not_ behave like it did in an RPG where you could just dilly dally around as much as you wanted, I made sure I had plenty of both, just in case. "Senel these are for you," I said, handing over three apple gels and two orange gels.

"Wha- I didn't ask you-"

"Just say thank you and let's go," I said flatly. Senel looked a bit taken aback but pocketed the gels all the same. "So what's our route?" Will pulled out the map Musette had given him and laid it flat so that Senel and I could look at it properly.

"We're here," he said, pointing to a spot that read Werites Beacon. "Moses' hideout it up past the Misty Mountains, though there's a good chance of us running into bandits there as well. That's where we're heading first." We nodded and headed out of the town walls. Open fields dotted with trees stretched our before us off into the distance. To our left there were forests and mountains. Raging Bay dominated everything to our right. A dirt road wandered off into the distance, forking off in two directions not far from where we were standing. The right led to Port-on-Rage and the left actually led to the Misty Mountains. It really was incredible that this was all a ship. I was so amazed by it all that I totally missed the little chat about the duct system on the Legacy.

xxx

_**The Legacy Really is a Ship**_

_Shayne: I still can't believe we're on a ship._

_Senel: You're telling me. Shirley and I nearly crashed straight into it when we came here. It was moving really fast._

_Shayne: Doesn't feel like we're moving at all. Hey Will how much of this ship's been explored?_

_Will: Treasure hunters and explorers have made it all over the ship, which is why we actually have maps of it, but there are so many unexplored regions that the Legacy still remains much a mystery. Especially anything related to the Kingdom of Terises. You see its fascinating because..._

_(Will walks off still talking)_

_Shayne: Should we just leave him?_

_Senel: Yeah._

xxx

It didn't take long before we encountered a group of wandering Lizardmen. I took out my tonfas and was one step behind Senel. Will hung back already casting Lightning.

"Shadow Rush!" shouted Senel, darting forward at an intense speed and landing a solid blow on the lead monster, sending it crashing back. He turned in a blur and snapped a kick into the second one's neck, knocking it on its side where it was finished by a lightning strike. Watching Senel fight nearly got me brained as I barely noticed the two coming at me, weapons raised. I blocked both strikes easily with the tonfas, barely feeling the attacks at all. Two quick punches with the weapons took the left one down, skull likely broken. My mind was oddly blank, my body working mechanically. I kicked the other one over in Senel's direction where he took it down with a Demon Fist. The group was down in no more than ten seconds.

"Wow, that was easy," I said, looking at the tonfas with slightly more respect. I dreaded what would happen if I hit a human full force with them. Monsters were one thing but other people...

"You've got good moves," said Senel, stretching slightly.

"Same to you, though I see you're an iron eren. You took down double what I did," I pointed out.

"You both barely left me any," said Will, coming up behind us, hammer on his shoulder. "We should pick up the pace though. There's a girl waiting for us."

"Right, let's move," said Senel, going into a jog. Will and I quickly picked up the pace.

A few more easy encounters later and we found ourselves at the base of the Misty Mountains. We entered cautiously, the string music playing softly in the back of my head. The path branched in two separate directions though I knew they both took us to the top. What had captured my attention was the massive purple spherical distortion that covered the whole of the right path.

"What the hell..." It was all I could get out. Random encounters didn't exist in this world, the monsters you saw were the ones you fought, Kingdom Hearts style. So I had figured that the absence of that mechanic would also mean the absence of the Chaotic Zones. Apparently I was wrong.

"Will, do you know what this thing is?" asked Senel, looking at it apprehensively. It looked distinctly evil.

"Yes," said Will darkly. "That is a Chaotic Zone, a space that is teeming with the restless spirits of slain monsters. Though harmless to humans, if a monster were to invade that space then it would in essence be taken over by those spirits, turning it into something far more deadly."

"You mean like that?" I asked dimly, pointing at the Egg Bear that had entered the Zone from the back. We watched as the Zone shrank steadily until it was covering the monster in a dark, undulating skin. I pulled out my tonfas. "I don't think this is good."

"No," said Will, readying his hammer. "Chaotic monsters are known for their brutality. Senel be on your guard."

"Here it comes!" shouted Senel, rushing forward to meet the oncoming creature. It shrugged off Senel's Demon Fang and backhanded him aside like he was made of cotton, still heading for myself and Will.

"Crap, First Aid!" shouted Will, healing Senel quickly.

"Will back up a bit!" I shouted moving forward. I knew my role, though I wanted to run with every fiber of my being. Protect the healer or we all die. _Shit I wish I knew how to use eres!_ The Egg Bear slowed down and rose to its hind legs, taking a downward swipe at me. I parried it off to my side and punched the thing in the chest as hard as I could, though from what I could tell it only seemed to make it angrier. Left claw incoming, I ducked it and dodged to the right, hitting it again as I passed to draw its focus away from Will. We needed him casting offensively if we were going to do this.

"Lightning!" shouted Will, striking the beast. That at least seemed to do something.

"Demon Shadow!" Senel was attacking the thing's back. Considering he was doing more damage than me with eres it turned to face him. I took the opportunity to pop a gel in my mouth. Instantly I felt the fatigue in my body leave along with the aches that my arms had from blocking a few of the bear's strikes. "Now, Demon Blast!" I dodged out of the way as the bear was knocked on his back. Jesus what a hit!

"Will!"

"Stone blast!" he shouted, rocks erupting from beneath the bear to pummel his back. Senel and I jumped back, ready for it to get up but it didn't. Slowly the spirit skin slid off the monster like it was melting and eventually faded away into nothing, leaving behind a dead Egg Bear with some blood pooled under it. "Is it dead?" he asked, walking over.

"Looks like it," said Senel. "That was awful, let's avoid those Chaotic Zones whenever we can."

"Agreed," I said. "I really hope I can figure out if I'm an eren or not soon though. That was too dangerous." Senel just looked at me baffled.

"Figure it out?" he repeated in confusion.

"Shayne here was found on the edge of town four months ago without any memories but his name," explained Will, choosing the left path and starting the ascent. "We were actually talking earlier today about whether or not it was possible to forget if you were an eren."

"Oh, that sounds rough," said Senel, looking at me differently than he had been earlier. I shook my head.

"Don't let it bother you I'm doing pretty well," I said quickly. "Everyone in the town's taken good care of me anyway."

"Stick close you two," called Will from up ahead. "I'm not a front line fighter remember?"

"Sure, ripped muscles, hammer, definitely support," said Senel through the side of his mouth. I couldn't help but laugh. Still we both quickly ran up to flank him. We didn't need another of those monsters catching us off guard. We saw a small flock of peepits flying ahead of us but they were heading away from our direction and after a minute of waiting they were gone. Fortunately, we finished the sloped ascent without incident.

"It looks like there are wooden rope bridges ahead," I said, squinting to try to get a sharper look. "And fog."

"They don't call the the Misty Mountains for nothing. Just don't fall," said Will, glancing over one of the edges. He kicked a rock over the side and it fell into misty darkness. "Right, let's keep moving." We kept walking until we found the end of a bridge that stretched off into the distance. We could just make out the other side. As we reached the middle of the bridge Will stopped looking around. "Wow, the fog's gotten a lot thicker."

"Halt!" came a sharp shout from somewhere nearby. I made an act of looking around until Senel spotted the culprit.

"Look! Up there!" A bridge about nine or so feet above us was occupied by a girl wearing blue and black who I recognized at once as Chloe Valens. She was surrounded by bandits. Looking at where she was standing I carefully judged her position and took two steps to the side and one back.

"Looks like I'll be taking care of my other business first," muttered Will.

"We've got you now! Give up!" said one bandit with a grin. Chloe looked at the men at her back then at the one who spoke.

"You've _got me_? _Give up_? Just who do you think you're talking to?" Inside I was practically bursting. This was one of my favorite lines in the whole game. "Save your threats until after you've tasted my blade!" In one swift motion she drew her blade and swung it. "Demon Fang!" Senel and Will jumped back in shock as the bridge above us was neatly sliced in two, dropping the swordswoman right in our lap, shaking the bridge slightly. I could hear the bandits scrambling back in fear of falling but I wasn't paying attention. My tonfas were in my hands, held so that they would be hidden from view.

"Such a reckless little girl, to cut down the entire bridge like that," said Will in exasperation.

"She's an iron eren..." observed Senel. Chloe looked around at the three of us, recovering from her fall quickly.

"What, there are more down here? So be it!" As I had intended, I placed myself closest to where she was so that with luck she would attack me first. Her sword was chopping down at my head in a split second. _Fast!_ I brought up my tonfas at once, catching the blade between them. I silently thanked Blade for always using a sword when I trained with him. Else I'd have probably been dead right there.

"Hey stop, we're not bandits!" I shouted, blocking another attack.

"Quit trying to distract me," she said jumping back to prepare for another assault. Deciding to take a gamble I put my tonfas away and put up my hands in surrender. Will stepped forwards.

"You're mistaken, we're not with those bandits," he said. Chloe just looked at us before blinking a few times.

"What?" she said, confused, her blade tip resting on the wooden planks.

"We're here to rescue a kidnapped girl," continued Will, his voice tinged with frustration. She just stared at us blankly.

"O...oh, really?" she sheathed her sword. "I just assumed-" but her voice broke off mid sentence. Senel was shaking his head.

"That's real good," he said flatly, "slicing people up on assumptions." Chloe blushed crimson in embarrassment.

"Senel," said Will in a don't-be-smart voice. Senel just sighed.

"So you're heading for the bandits lair too?" he asked.

"That's right," said Chloe.

"To do what?"

"My objective is the same as yours." At this Senel frowned.

"And my objective has absolutely nothing to do with you," he responded coldly. The girl just brushed his comment off.

"No matter. I cannot stand by and allow injustice to prevail!"

"I hate to break this up but we've got company," I said, looking at the end of the bridge. The bandits from earlier were back.

"At last, we've got you now!" shouted the leader.

"No doubt there's more of them on the way," said Will, already moving in the opposite direction. "We can't afford to get surrounded. Run!" The four of us ran to the other end of the bridge, getting caught in a thick cloud of fog. "This way!" said Will loud enough for us to hear, and moved off to the right. We ended up hiding behind a group of rocks as the large bandit group passed us by.

"Were those all Moses' men?" asked Senel quietly. Will nodded.

"Yeah, quite the little army, isn't it?" he said. I put my finger to my lips and pointed to a nearby group of bandits that were scoping out our area and the other two quieted down. Eventually the fog cleared a bit and we found no bandits around us. Of course we were one shorter than before as well.

"Well the bandits are gone, but it looks like our spirited knight is as well," I said.

"Damn, I needed to speak with her," said Will.

"Is she the 'young lady' Musette was talking about?" asked Senel.

"Yes, her name is Chloe Valens," said Will. "As expected her sense of justice has driven her to come here to rescue Shirley."

"Why? She doesn't even know Shirley," said Senel.

"Isn't it obvious?" I said, deciding not to sit this conversation out. "She's a knight. They're all about doing justice and acting according to their duty." Will nodded. Senel looked like he wanted to keep talking but I put a hand on his shoulder. "Think about it later, Senel. We need to keep moving. Personally I'd rather if we got to Shirley before anyone _else_ decides to save her. Be they knights or other."

"Right," said Senel, refocusing instantly. Will moved to a higher point and looked along the path.

"If we follow this it shouldn't take us long to get out of the mountains," he said. Keep an eye out for bandits _and_ more monsters. Let's go!"

XxxxX

**A/N:** First off, Sylph's skit format from FTaBV is simple and intuitive which is exactly why I blatantly am ripping it from her. Thanks for that hun.

Otherwise HORRAY the journey begins! Though there's a lot to accomplish. Finally we also start to see some things that I've altered to fit a real world scenario better, like the chaotic zones. Hope that didn't look bad. Also when we're talking about battle ability and known eres it's a bit shakey for knowing what "level" the group would be at any given time save for approximates from game play, but like I said, I'm taking a more realistic approach to a lot of things. Big tough enemies aren't really going to be damaged much by blunt hits like fists and stuff (though Senel can still cause a lot of damage). And for the record, that first chaotic egg bear in the game can wreck your day if you haven't been battling much. He can kill Senel in about 4-5 hits _easily_. And he's not slow about them when you're up in his face.

Anyway stay tuned for the next part! Let me know what you think so far.


	6. The Lair of a Wild Man

"Hey, what's that?" I asked, pointing at a large and suspicious looking origami crane. Senel and Will just looked at each other.

"You don't think..."

"Well there's one way to find out," said Will, walking over and touching the thing. We were suddenly enveloped in a puff of pinkish smoke which dissipated after a second, leaving us face to face with Mimi the 28th Wonder Baker. _Oh yeah, how could I forget about her?_

"What are you doing in a place like this?" asked Senel blankly.

"A Wonder Baker must undergo constant, rigorous training!" she said. "How do you like that? Impressive, huh?" Looking at me she tilted her head slightly to the side. "You're new, who're you?"

"Shayne," I said.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Mimi the 28th Wonder Baker!" She puffed out her chest in pride.

"I'm not sure where to start..." said Will, crossing his arms.

"What, is something wrong?" asked Mimi. We all looked at each other. "Well, whatever it is, don't worry. Life's not all burnt bread!" She ran off to the side near a bridge. "Good luck! Bye bye!" Turning she disappeared into a cloud of fog after which we heard her fall rather loudly.

"You're the one who needs luck..." we all muttered.

"Okay so what was that all about?" I asked. "You two knew her?"

"Apparently she goes around teaching people how to cook different things," said Will.

"So didn't she just completely forget to teach us something?" I said blankly.

"Ah." Senel's voice drew our attention. "She dropped something. Looks like a recipe for a ham sandwich?"

"Must be a pretty damn special ham sandwich if it needs a recipe," I said with a grin.

"Let's just keep moving," said Will with a sigh.

We had to incapacitate one bandit group and kill a couple Peepits before we cleared the mountains and ended up back on the grassy fields. I was doing everything in my power to learn at least _one_ eres. But trying to figure out how something even the game failed to give a proper explanation of how it worked, coupled with the fact I had no opportunity to stop and really think about it, meant that I was getting nowhere fast.

The sun was low in the sky, casting dark shadows across the area. The dirt road continued off around grassy hills covered in trees. I was struck by another aspect of life that I never had to worry about when playing the game. Time. Not to mention fatigue. Food wasn't a problem. Will had made sure to take provisions before we left his house.

"We're going to have to stop soon to sleep," I said, looking at the sinking sun. "We still had a ways to go before reaching the Bandit's Lair."  
"We can't just stop!" said Senel quickly, also looking at the sky. He scowled at the approaching dark. Will however put a hand on his shoulder.

"Shayne is right. We need to be in top condition to raid Moses' lair and getting there in the middle of the night won't help us at all. We'd be better off finding a place to rest." Will looked around and settled on a hill to our right. "That should be fine."

"Don't worry so much," I said softly to Senel, feeling his frustration. "Moses will keep her safe until we take her back." He looked at me sharply.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well from what I've heard, Moses isn't particularly partial to kidnap, so this it pretty new for him," I said, choosing my words carefully. "If he kidnapped Shirley because he thinks she's the Merines then he probably thinks she can do something for him? Maybe he's looking for something?" I added with a shrug. Senel thought it over silently before nodding, accepting my logic. I sighed internally. Hopefully he wouldn't fly off the handle soon.

_Oh wait he does that for most of the first half of the game... well whatever._

Will led us off the road and up a fairly steep rise that put us overlooking the nearby area. I could see signs of movement in the far off distance but none were heading in our direction. I guess the game greatly exaggerated the presence of monsters in areas. The encounter rate was certainly higher in the game than we were dealing with here. Not that I was complaining. I tried to remember the types of monsters that were native to this area but get an accurate picture. I'd played this game into the ground that was for sure, but who could accurately remember monster encounters?

"I'll take the first watch," said Senel, leaning against a tree and looking around carefully. I exchanged a look with Will. _Do you think he'll run off?_ Will glanced at Senel before shaking his head.

"Alright, I'll take the second," said Will. "Wake me in about three or four hours."

"Got it."

I put my head back on the grass, staring at the sky. As darkness fell completely it became filled with a truly endless number of stars. It was breathtaking. I'd never gotten the chance to see something like this in my life. Living in NYC with all that light pollution. I slowly drifted off, thinking of home.

_I was in a room. It was difficult to make anything out because everything gave off a white glow. Sensing something I turned around, finding myself face to face with a teriques._

"_Shayne..."_

_I reached out to touch it but it vanished as if it were never there._

I opened my eyes to see Will kneeling at my side, shaking me slightly.

"Hey, you're up," he said. It was still dark but I could make out hues of deep blue far to the east. As I sat up I noticed Senel asleep a few feet to my left.

"Any trouble?" I asked softly. Will shook his head.

"No, this area seems relatively peaceful at night," he answered. "Which likely means it'll be just the opposite during the day. Wake us a few hours after the sun rises or earlier if it get's too dangerous." I nodded. Today was certainly going to be a long one.

XxxxX

We reached the Bandit's Lair a little before noon with little incident. I nearly lost an eye to an overzealous galf that was roaming around away from its pack but otherwise things had been manageable. Looking around at the fortified entrance I spotted a shadow of movement on top of the wall. Along with the balcony openings from the upper rooms.

_So that's how he knew they were coming..._ With no guard at the front we simply we walked inside, looking around cautiously.

"Well y'all finally made it. I was wondering how long it'd take till someone showed up," came a laid back voice from up ahead. Moses was approaching us with his faithful partner Giet at his side.

"Moses!" shouted Senel rushing forward. He stopped a few feet short of the trap door on the floor. I didn't say anything. We still had one more person to pick up before going after Shirley. It made me wonder what would happen to Chloe if we just left her down there in the dark.

"Now what's that face for?" said Moses, pretending to be taken aback. "And after I came all the way out here just to show you folks some hospitality! Y'all could be a bit more grateful, you know? Ain't that right, Giet?" Giet barked his agreement.

"Let Shirley go," said Senel forcefully, taking a step forwards, fists raised. Moses just scratched his chin.

"So that's the girl's name? Shirley... you know her?"

"I said let her go!" Senel ran forwards only to have the floor drop out from under him as the trap door opened. He gave a shout of surprise as he fell into darkness.

"Y'all watch your step now!" said Moses with a wide grin. Will and I ran forwards.

"Senel!" shouted Will, looking down into the hole. "Moses you-"

"Don't look at me, he's the one who fell for it," said Moses, turning around and taking off, Giet at his heels.

"Dammit," said Will. "Senel! Can you hear me!"

"No use Will," I said, taking a number of steps back. I launched myself over the hole, landing on the other side. "We need to go find him. There's probably some way to get to the lower level." I looked around and spotted a lever on the side of the wall hidden away a bit. Pushing it up caused the hole to close. Will tested it briefly before running across. We moved through the facility quietly, being extra careful around corners. There were bandits all over the place, though most seemed to have places to go and things to do, which kept them moving. The only problem came when we found two of them standing guard at the top of a the staircase we had been looking for. I looked around on the ground for something to use before Will pushed a small rock into my hand with a nod. Did the man really carry rocks with him?

I tossed it over their heads and down the steps making a loud sound. As soon as they had turned in curiosity I ran forwards, tonfas out. I hit the first one across the head with the flat of my right tonfa, dropping him like a stone. The other one made to shout out but a quick kick to his gut hand him on his knees coughing. He quickly joined his friend after Will ran over and gave him a not-so-light tap with his hammer.

"Come on let's get them out of sight," I said, grabbing the one I had downed and dragging him down the steps. Will just lifted the other guy by his shirt and carried him off. After we put them at the bottom of the stairs we looked around. The lower level was very dimly lit. "He's probably a ways in considering how long it took to get here," I said, starting forwards.

"Hang on, I've got some light here," said Will, pulling a stone out of his pocket and doing something to it. It was suddenly glowing enough to see a number of feet around us.

"How'd you do that?" I asked, interested.

"It's an eres stone," said Will. "A little crystal eren trick I picked up a while ago."

"Neat." We walked ahead for a bit before hearing movement. Will motioned for me to be quiet and I took out my tonfas. Could have been a monster for all I knew, though we hadn't encountered any yet. Perhaps the light was keeping them away? We turned a corner to see a very interesting sight. Chloe was pressed up against the wall by Senel, his hand over her mouth so she wouldn't make a sound. Senel's face was wary, Chloe's completely flustered. I was grinning before I could stop myself.

"Well, well, well... and to think the two of you only just met," said Will, his voiced clearly amused. I snorted in laughter. They jumped away from each other.

"What are you talking about?!" they shot in unison, which only made me laugh more.

"Come on let's get back to the top," I said quickly. Senel and Chloe both breathed a sigh of relief as we reached the top of the stairs. Apparently being down there had been a bit rougher than I thought. I kept a lookout to make sure no one would interrupt us during the short meeting.

"Now, Miss Chloe Valens," said Will, turning to face her. Chloe looked at him startled.

"How did you know my name?" she asked.

"Your reputation as a defender of justice precedes you," he responded. I was probably the only one who caught the slight sarcasm in his voice. Chloe certainly missed it.

"It is my duty to help those in need," she said proudly. Will crossed his arms.

"They say you jumped into a couple's squabble and beat the man half to death." Chloe just looked at him blankly.

"When?"

"Three days ago. Did you not realize what you had done?" Chloe was looking quite uncomfortable, her toe digging into the ground slightly out of nerves.

"...no."

"I've heard several stories like that about you," said Will in his parent voice. Chloe's face was getting redder.

"L-lies, all lies," she said quickly. Senel couldn't contain himself any longer.

"Nice way to help people." Chloe rounded on him at once.

"Quiet, you!" Will continued before Senel could retort.

"Miss Valens, The spirit with which you attempt to follow your beliefs is certainly admirable, but it would be wise to think a bit more about the potential consequences of your actions."

_'And no more sweets for you, young lady,'_ I thought in humor.

"Yes... I guess you're right," said Chloe, deflated.

"You've seen how dangerous this place is," said Will, waving his arm around. "I think it would be best for you to return quietly to the city." At this Chloe stood up straight, all evidence that she had just been told what for completely gone.

"No. I've come this far. I don't think I should retreat now. Even as we stand here, that poor captured girl is suffering." Senel just looked at her silently. I wondered what was going on through his head. Will however just smiled.

"I figured you'd say that. In that case why don't you work together with us?"

"With you?"

"The kidnapped girl is actually Senel's sister, Shirley," explained Will, motioning to the boy leaning against the wall. Chloe turned to look at Senel. They stared at each other for a second before Senel broke the eye contact, looking away.

"I see," said Chloe slowly. "All right, I'll help you." Senel looked back at her quickly, surprised. "Now that I know your situation for me to refuse would be to go against my very calling. I shall accompany you."

"Great," said Will with a nod. "Then it's settled. Right, Senel?" Senel pushed himself off the wall and walked over.

"Whatever. It's just until we rescue Shirley, anyway." Will just sighed.

"Well then, may I ask you two your full names?" said Chloe.

"I'm Will Raynard and this is..."

"Senel Coolidge."

"Raynard and Coolidge, understood," said Chloe with a nod. "I shall address you as such from now on."

"Hey don't forget about me," I said, coming over now that they were done. Fortunately no one had noticed the lack of the guards at the stairs and sent someone to investigate.

"Where were you this whole time?" asked Will, crossing his arms.

"Making sure that we wouldn't be surprised while you were laying down the law," I said with a shrug, making him cough, covering a grin. "I heard what you were saying though. I'm Shayne, though that's the only name I've got." Chloe looked at me in interest, particularly at my tonfas. "Anyway, good to have you with us Chloe, you're pretty quick with that sword." At that she blushed, and I knew she was thinking back to our earlier encounter on the bridge.

"Ah, I'm sorry about that," she said quickly. I waved it off.

"No harm done."

"Quit yapping and let's go," said Senel in annoyance. "We've wasted enough time here as it is."

XxxxX

Now with four people, remaining stealthy was even more difficult and eventually impossible. We came to a staircase winding upwards with bandits milling around it. I dropped back to a middle guard and allowed Chloe to take my position supporting Senel on the front. She was wicked fast with her sword but still restrained enough to refrain from killing any of them. I knew that could only come from skill. Senel had it easy, just knocking people out left and right. It would be ridiculous when the group got twice as large. A small army of erens. Anyone that slipped through was knocked out by me. I made sure that Will was left untouched as he kept Senel and Chloe healthy with the occasional First Aid. Still, the untrained fighters that the bandits were simply were no match for them. In no time at all we were at the top floor. There was a door directly across from us, though on testing it it was locked.

"Shirley! Are you in there?" called Senel, banging on the door.

"Senel?!"

"Shirley!" said Senel, relief in his voice. "We finally found you! How are you feeling?"

"I'm all right," came the soft voice. "How about you? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine. Sorry it took so long to get here." I could almost see Shirley shaking her head.

"No, no. Don't worry about that. Thank you for coming to rescue me..." Her voice died off. Senel stood up clenching his fists.

"Stand back. I'm going to break the door down."

"Can you do that?" asked Shirley quickly.

"I will do it," he said fiercely. Drawing back his fist he swung at the door with all his might... and never connected.

"Shayne what are you doing! Get out of my way!" Senel shouted, pulling his hand out of my grip. "I need to break this door down."

"All you'll do is break your hands you idiot," I said flatly. "Look at that door for a second. You'd have just as much luck trying to take down the wall next to it." I didn't need him destroying his hands.

"Umm, the guy who put me in here locked the door," came Shirley's voice, "I think his name was Moses? Maybe he has the key?"

"Alright," said Senel, slamming his fists together. "We'll beat the crap out of Moses and then make him give us the key."

"Please be careful," said Shirley.

There was only one other room on the floor, down the hall and facing the opposite direction as the one Shirley was in. Lo and behold, there lay Moses in the middle of the room, not a care in the world.

"Bout time y'all showed up. Giet and me were getting' tired of waiting," he said, getting to his feet.

"Hand over the key," said Senel, holding out his hand. Moses dug around in his pocket before pulling out a golden piece of metal.

"So that's it, huh? You want this key that bad? Well in that case..." his foot kicked out and up a little, flinging something into the air. He caught it and spun it rapidly before leveling the point at Senel's chest. It was a spear. "Come and get it!" Giet dashed forwards and knocked Senel half a dozen feet back before dodging Chloe's sword, returning to Moses' side. I moved to Chloe's side as Will moved to the back, helping Senel up. This was going to be rough.

We instantly split up, Chloe and I taking on Giet and Will and Senel going after Moses. As Senel dashed in, Giet tried to knock him back again but was once again forced to dodge a stab by Chloe's sword. I moved in to try and land a hit on the galf's side but he responded almost instantly, his teeth clicking together inches in front of my face.

"Sword Rain Demon!" shouted Chloe, her sword stabbing at a quick speed, drawing blood from the galf before the shockwave hit him in the shoulder. Still it did little to deter him as he launched forwards, determined to break Chloe's sword arm. I managed a powerful kick to his side, knocking him over and out of the way. Glancing over to Senel I noticed that he wasn't fairing very well with Moses' spear. The weapon simply had too much reach for the hand to hand fighter and Moses was admittedly extremely proficient.

"Senel, Chloe, switch!" shouted Will, casting a Fireball as cover. Obedient to Wills orders they quickly changed targets. The galf took the Fireball hits and backed off, his fur burned and still bloody from Chloe's stabs.

"Giet!" shouted Moses, tossing something to the galf, who caught it in his mouth. At once his injuries healed and he was looking revitalized. Apple gel, dammit. We needed to take the galf down.

"Will, Senel, with me!" I shouted, dodging a swipe of Giet's claws and slamming him in the side. Senel quickly hit the galf's other side with a number of heavy punches. I knew from watching him pulverize monsters the day before that those hits were _not_ light.

"Lightning!" shouted Will, the bolt striking Giet in his back. He wavered for a moment, slightly stunned by the electric attack. Senel took this moment to rock the galf with a Demon Blast. Giet rolled of near the balcony, unmoving.

"Shit, Giet!" shouted Moses. He tried to move back but he was being pressed by Chloe. "Back off ya crazy sword girl! Wolf Strike!" Chloe jumped back, a gash across her left cheek. Moses spun his spear again, looking at us with a frown. "Four on one, eh? That's a little much, don't ya think?"

"Hand over the key!" said Senel once more. Moses just smirked.

"Humph, this fight ain't over yet!"

"Moses! We're under attack!" A young man burst into the room, completely oblivious to what was going on inside. So this would have to be Csaba.

"Say what?"

"They're already at the entrance!" said Csaba, running to the balcony and pointing. We all looked at each other before following to the edge to see what was going on. Incredibly, none of us had noticed the full scale battle happening under our noses. Bandits were fighting soldiers in red armor everywhere, and not fairing well. I made out a single person far to the rear of the group that looked different from all the others.

_It seems Melanie and her little army finally made it here. It's about time for us to go._

"Who in the hell are those red guys?!" said Moses, slamming his fist on the ledge.

"I've never heard of an army like that on the Legacy," said Will looking troubled. "When did they come aboard?"

"That's-"

"Do you know them Senel?" asked Will quickly. But Senel shook his head and turned back to the battle.

"No." Will narrowed his eyes at Senel but said nothing.

"Hey, you there," said Moses, looking to Senel. He was now back in the middle of the room, feeding Giet a small round yellow gummy. I figured it was probably a Lemon Gel. Senel turned just in time to catch the thing Moses threw at him. "You wanted that didn't you? Take it."

"Moses?" said Senel, totally thrown.

"Don't get me wrong, now. I'm just lendin' it to you for a bit. We still gotta settle our score. But for now, we got bigger fish to fry." He looked to his side. "Giet! Csaba! Come on!" They raced out of the room to the battle below, Moses grabbing a handful of smaller spears by the door. Senel was still somewhat stuck on what just happened.

"If we don't move quickly, we'll get caught in the fighting," said Chloe, already moving toward the door.

"Right, let's get back to Shirley," said Will. A feet from Shirleys door we heard a small scream come from inside.

"Shirley!" shouted Senel, quickly unlocking the door and throwing it wide. We all rushed inside to Shirley encased in a purple sphere, a blond man standing beside her. "You!"  
"You're the flying man from Lumen Spring!" said Will, recognizing him at once. The man said nothing, wings appearing on his back and took off, Shirley right beside him. Senel ran to the balcony but was too slow to catch them.

"Wait! Dammit! Where's he headed?"

"Hey!" Csaba ran into the room, looking at us all. "This way. Hurry! That flying guy seemed to be going toward the Crystal Forest. You can get there from the rear exit of the hideout. Follow me!" No time to think about it we all followed him back through the hideout, running past injured bandits and the occasional battle happening between them and the soldiers in red. Within a minute we were at the rear exit. Csaba looked around at us.

"If you go out here and just keep going straight, you'll reach the Crystal Forest. It's not that far away."

"Why are you helping us?" asked Will, suspicious.

"I'm sure Moses would do the same thing if he were here," he said simply. Will shrugged and set out, Senel on his heels. I started walking as well but lingered enough to hear Chloe ask one final question.

"There's one thing I'd like to ask you. Do you know of a swordsman with a tattoo of a snake on his arm?" Csaba thought for a moment.

"A snake tattoo? No, I'm afraid not."

"I see..."

"Well, bye now. Good luck." Csaba ran back into the hideout.

"Come on Chloe, we're getting left behind," I said, making her jump. Apparently she hadn't noticed I was still there.

"Ah, right!"

XxxxX

**A/N:** The end of the Bandit's Lair! On to the Crystal Forest. I hope you don't mind, for those of you that noticed, I took regular monsters pretty much out of this place because yeah they totally make sense to be in a human base where people are supposed to live. The basement maybe with guards, but otherwise no. Oh and also you might have noticed that I reoriented Moses' room so that when they look outside they would _actually_ see the front of the place and keep consistent with Csaba running into the room that Shirley is spirited out of seconds after it happens and knowing they are heading to the Crystal forest (which should be facing the complete opposite direction of Moses' room). Yeah so there it is. Bandits aren't trained fighters, they're more brawlers I'd think anyway.

Let me touch on Moses for a second. Don't think for a second his eres actually make sense in a real world way. He throws unlimited spears? Yeah I'll be supplementing his eres with some more like melee versions of his thrown ones. Don't worry I won't be ripping Judith from ToV, though she is a beast and I love her. Just think of most of Moses' moves having melee and ranged versions. His main weapon therefore would be a spear and on his back he has a couple javelins to use his moves with which he would need to collect or replace. So in that sense I see him as a spear fighter, not an olympic thrower. I hope you don't mind cuz that's not going to change. I never liked how useless Moses was compared to the other iron erens because of how ineffective he was at a close range and his moves missed a _lot._ ESPECIALLY his second normal javelin throw. Why, I ask the gods, WHY, did it hit the ground 3 feet in front of him 90% of the time? Siiiiigh. It's just sad cuz his worst nightmare is something like an Eggtopus.

Right so anyway hope you liked it, look forward to the next chapter!


	7. A Natural Disaster Named Norma

It only took half an hour of fast traveling for us to get to the Crystal Forest. The edge of the forest was weird, as very little of what lay ahead was actually in view. The "trees" completely obscured out view.

"This is the Crystal Forest?" I said. "Why's it called- holy shit." Now I know that I knew a lot more than I let on and I had to keep up amnesia appearances. Still, I was simply blown away by what I saw as we passed into the forest. First I noticed that we were no longer on the ground. The pathways were the strange, somewhat transparent crystal that comprised most of the forest, though we were hundreds of feet above the ground. The multi leveled shroom-like trees that connected the paths everywhere were all colored shades of blue and purple. It was like the Crystal Forest was a forest that grew out of a huge hole in the ground. Bizarre and beautiful.

"Shayne don't space out," said Will, leading the group forward. I could still tell that he was excited to be here. Will loved marvels of nature like he loved rare monsters and old legends. Which was to say probably slightly more than was healthy. We had gone no more than a few minutes before we heard the telltale cry of the next hyperactive child to join the group, Norma Beatty. While Will, Senel, and Chloe all went on their guard, I just put my hands behind my head. A girl in yellow screeched to a halt in front of us, noticing that she wasn't alone.

"Ah, hey! You there!" Looking back the way she came she let out another cry and took off deeper in to the forest. Seconds later a huge, and I mean _huge_, spider-like creature that looked like it was half made of crystal moved in front of us, causing everyone to take a step back in shock. It seemed to look at us then turned to follow the girl at top speed. We all watched it go, bemused.

"Wh... what was that?" said Chole, finding her voice. Will's eyes were shining like never before.

"A crystarantula," he said happily. "They look fearsome but they're actually quite gentle. They don't normally attack people." Chloe put her hands on her hips.

"It sure looked like it was attacking her."

"Well... they tend to show no mercy to those who enter their nests," reasoned Will. "Crystarantulas have a habit of collecting shiny objects. Treasure hunters often run into trouble with them."

"So you think she was a treasure hunter?" I asked. The crystarantula was long gone.

"Most likely," said Will.

"Well, we can't just abandon her," said Chloe at once, moving forwards. "Let's go after her."

"Then this is as far as we go together," said Senel.

"What? Why?!"

"I'm going to find Shirley. I'm not interested in that girl." Will and I just exchanged looks and rolled our eyes. Yeah this was becoming pretty regular.

"It's not a matter of interest! You know, you are incredibly self-centered!"

"Yeah, and you can't keep your nose out of other people's business."

"That's enough, you two," said Will, taking up his parent tone again. I had to admit it worked really well. The two kids just turned away from each other with a humph.

Will sighed before saying, "Look, we're all headed in the same direction. Rescuing Shirley is certainly our first priority, but we'll keep that girl in mind as well." We began moving again in silence. I could only home that Moses had gotten away with his boys safely. We had barely been moving for another ten minutes before Norma was back again.

"Hey!" she shouted, running past us before stopping and glaring. "I can't believe you guys! Why didn't you help me?! So heartless! Oh, why are people so cruel? I can't take it! And _you!_" she shouted pointing at me. "They were all ready to go but you had your hands behind your head _and_ you were grinning!" Well now, Norma had pretty sharp eyes. Everyone looked at me.

"Don't know what you're talking about." Will shook his head.

"Perhaps first you could explain why you were being chased by that creature," he said. Norma looked at us all in slight panic.

"Umm..." But Will just plowed on.

"If I had to guess, I'd say you probably got caught ransacking its nest." Norma took a tiny step back.

"Ah, well..."

"Bingo," said Chloe, shaking her head. Senel nodded.

"Well, she's an easy read."

"Maybe you should look at yourself first, before you go accusing others," finished Will, crossing his arms.

"Oh, come on! That's different!" she argued. Taking on a lofty tone she continued, "When you see a cute girl in trouble, don't you think you should do something?"

"Not really, no," said Senel. I held back a snort of laughter.

"What?!...You know, I don't like you. You're cold. Or...maybe you don't like cute girls..." said Norma, grinning slightly. I could almost hear Senel growl in frustration.

"No! I mean, yes! I-" But Norma just rolled right over him.

"Well, whatever. Whether it's all cute girls or just me, it doesn't really matter now." She raised her arm and waved cheerfully. "Hello!"

"Who are you waving at?" asked Chloe. We all turned to find ourselves in the line of sight of a very pissed crystarantula. Norma was already backing away.

"Looks like he wants to play with you guys now. He's all yours. Have fun!" Chloe drew her sword a split second after my tonfas were out. Senel raised his fists, standing at the head of the group. I admired his courage.

"Ready?" Will asked the group at large. I glanced back at him.

"Yeah right..."

The crystarantula charged at us with great speed. There was no way that any of us would be able to shrug off a hit like that. As he got close however I heard Will shout "Stone Blast!" Rocks erupted beneath the creature causing it to trip and slide forwards, killing its charge and momentum.

"Nice one Will," shouted Senel, running forwards with his fingernails glowing. Chloe launched a number of Demon Fangs before moving to the crystarantula's other side, digging her blade into one of its four arms. The thing roared in pain and knocked Chloe aside, sword still stuck in its arm.

"Senel keep it a little busy if you can!" I shouted. "Will, anything to make it a little less resilient?" He nodded and after a few seconds cast Antishield. I had no way of really knowing what moves they all knew but that eres was pretty low level in the game and I lucked out here. Senel was doing a lot of damage to it's right side's arms while Chloe and I were working to get her weapon back as she was practically useless in battle without it. I moved in, ducking under the arm without the sword in it and trying to land some hard blows on the side of its body. Chole shouted a warning to me which I heard just in time to turn around as both left arms crushed me against the thing's side. "Chloe get your sword!" I gasped, my ribs feeling like they were going to crack. She rushed in and jumped up to grab the handle of the sword, pulling it out of the crystarantula's arms with a stream of blood flowing behind it.

"Shining Gale!" she shouted, dashing forward at incredible speed, leaving a long deep gash on the arm that she had impaled earlier and causing the monster to roar in pain. I felt the pressure on my body slacken and I slid to the ground, ending up under one of it's legs which it used to keep me pressed into the ground. I shouted in pain as it put it's full weight on my body, crushing me.

"Senel, Shayne's pinned under it's legs, it'll kill him! AHH!" This time Chloe was lifted off of her feet and thrown a good twenty feet away crashing to a stop where Will ran over to her. I heard Senel shout something but I couldn't make it out. I just wanted the damn thing off of my. I could feel the pressure building in my body, no, in my hands? I looked at my hands to see my fingernails blazing light. I stretched my arms up and dug my fists, which were still miraculously holding onto my tonfas, into the things underside.

"Get, the fuck, OF OF ME!" I shouted, letting out everything I had. In a burst of red light, the crystarantula was suddenly propelled vertically up and back, landing in a mighty heap on its back. Blood ran from it's left arms and back as it struggled to get back up, both of its right arms useless courtesy of Senel. While Senel helped push a gel into my mouth I saw Chloe take a running leap and dig her sword deep into the thing's head, after which it dropped at once. Finally over. Now as much as I liked Norma, I was _really_ going to have a hard time not tossing her off the nearest cliff for this.

"Shayne, you alright?" asked Will as he came over. He put a hand on my chest and cast First Aid, alleviating any other pains the gel hadn't been able to take care of. Finally done healing everyone he took a bite of an Orange Gel himself.

"Am I alright? I'm fantastic!" I said cheerfully, letting Senel help me to my feet. I thought back to that feeling. It was so familiar it was astounding. Like, how could I have ever not known how to do this before? All at once my fingernails were glowing that same light. Will and Senel looked on in surprise, though it was different from Chloe's.

"Shayne, you're an eren?" she asked in astonishment. She looked a little roughed up but Will had healed her well. "But you've never used eres before. Why didn't you until now?"

"I honestly didn't know if I was an eren or not," I said truthfully. Ignoring Chloe's confusion of 'didn't know' I walked to one of upturned edges of the crystal paths that serves as a wall. I thought back to what had happened. There was only one move that I could think of that I knew which was like that, though it wasn't specifically from this game. Focusing on my right hand I thrust it forward against the wall. "Raging Blast!" Red energy gathered in my hand exploded forwards, sending a spiderweb of cracks in every direction as the concussive force released. "Hell YEAH!" I shouted, fist pumping. Hi my name is Shayne, I'm from Earth, I'm a regular old human, and I just used the equivalent of a magic arte. Best. Day. Ever. Luke fon Fabre you are my hero.

"We'll he's easily pleased," said Chloe, a smile tugging at her lips.

"Wow you all actually managed to kill it? My heroes!" came a girly voice from behind us all. There was Norma, perfectly cheerful as usual. Completely ignorant to the fact that she nearly condemned four perfect strangers to death. "Thank you so much. You all fought for little old me."

All at once we shouted, "No, we didn't!"

"Seriously though that was incredible," she went on, as if she hadn't heard us. "I mean I didn't expect all _four_ of you to be erens! You should have told me sooner, sillies." She walked up to stand directly in front of Senel. It was a mark of how odd this all was that no one could really react properly. "People need to help each other out, you know? It feels good to be useful, doesn't it?" Senel quickly took two steps back.

"What are you babbling about?" Norma didn't answer, apparently deep in thought. We all looked at each other again. She suddenly brightened considerably.

"I've made up my mind. I'm going to let you join my party!" We all looked at her blankly. Wait, excuse me? "I've been looking for an eren I could get some mileage out of. Finding four at once is more than I could have possibly hoped for!"

"Whatever," said Senel, shaking his head.

"What's your name?" asked Will. Norma did a little twirl and a pose.

"Me? Norma Beatty! And since you asked, I'm a world-class treasure hunter, if I do say so myself!"

"You don't say," I said in amusement.

"Aw, come on. Listen-" but Will cut her off.

"Norma, did you see a man flying through the sky near here? He would've had a girl with him." She just looked at him with a snort of laughter.

"A flying man? What are you, stupid? If you want to see acrobats, go to the circus." I could practically see the tick appearing above his head. Was it wrong of me that I was looking forward to this?

"Who are you calling stupid?" he said sharply, walking over to Norma and knocking her over the top of her head with a loud "knock".

"Ow!"

"We don't have time for this," said Will, still aggravated. He walked off, Senel and Chloe following him, most likely in agreement. I glanced back at Norma rubbing her head before grinning and running to catch up.

"Hey, wait! Hold up! Hang on a sec! Guys?"

XxxxX

We walked for a while longer, Norma at our heels, though we all ignored her and she remained oddly silent. There wasn't a monster in sight. No doubt the pissed crystarantula had scared everything in this area shitless. Couldn't blame em. While I was looking around, Norma had finally decided to make her move. Tapping Senel on the shoulder.

"Come on, let's work together! Let's be a team!" Senel just ignored her. Clearly the wrong move. "Join my team and let's be friends, dammit!"

"You're not the one who should be getting mad!" shot Senel, frustrated.

"Ah guy's come take a look at this," I called over to them from the large wall with the broken ladder next to it. They all walked over looking around. Senel looked closely at the wall, thinking.

"It looks like the path continues beyond this wall," he said.

"Well normally I would think we should be able to use a ladder to get to the path," said Will, looking around and spotting the busted ladder, "but of course it looks like someone didn't want that to happen."

"So you want to get through here huh?" asked Norma, looking at us. "Say, Senny." Senel looked at her quickly.

"Senny?" he repeated blankly. Chloe, Will, and I all looked between each other. Nicknames? Norma was plowing on full steam ahead, unaware of the commotion she was causing.

"Why don't we make a deal? I'll make it so you can pass through here... And in exchange, you'll join my team!" She held out two fingers in a peace sign.

"Like you could actually do that," said Senel, crossing his arms.

"Oh? You don't believe me?" she replied, annoyed. "You'd flip if you knew how good I was!" Senel just turned back to the wall with a sigh. I couldn't figure out if he had no patience at all or incredible tolerance. Senel was so random. Norma, who was fuming now, was _much_ easier to read.

"Here, watch!" She turned to the rest of us. "You three, also! Uh..." Senel looked around and pointed at us in order.

"Will, Chloe, and Shayne." This was the moment I had been dreading. Norma's nickname. It truly was a nerve wracking experience. She looked at Will.

"Hmm...glasses...bossy..."Teach"!" She turned to Chloe. "And you're "C"!"

"Hey!" said Will and Chloe in unison. Norma was looking at me.

"And last but not least, Shay." I blinked. Seriously? Not something like Blackie? Yesssss. "Now that that's settled, allow me to gently blow this wall to kingdom come." She backed up from the wall as we all watched her, wondering what she was going to do. Though it seemed pretty obvious to me.

"Her nails are glowing," said Chloe as Norma began to cast. Senel looked at her in surprise.

"You're an eren too?"

"Crystal eres looking nice, as usual," she said loftily. Finally it clicked in Will's head what was going to happen. I'd have to assume that the reason he was so late to catch on was because he thought that doing such a thing was, quite literally, a crime against nature and therefore no one would ever consider it.

"No, don't!"

"Grave!" shouted Norma, a large spike of earth rising out of the ground to split the crystal wall up the middle. It cracked further before shattering, creating a very large hole for us to pass through. "Heh heh. See? Piece of cake!" Will immediately walked over to her and hit her over the head again. "Ow! What was that for?! That hurt!" Will was practically beside himself.

"You idiot! You just ruined a valuable display of nature's beauty!" Norma just couldn't comprehend what he was saying.

"But-"

"You're coming with us!" he continued, putting a iron hand on her shoulder. Chloe looked at him in surprise.

"We're taking her with us?" she asked. Will looked down at the girl under his thumb, who just looked like she had been told she had been kidnapped. Well, let's be real here. That's _exactly_ what just happened. It just occurred to me how ironic this scene was. Ah well, Norma would warm up to the group really fast anyway. I knew she was just lonely.

"There's no telling what she'll do if we let her roam free. I'm keeping her with me and watching her like a hawk," said Will. Senel just shook his head. Norma looked at the rest of us and raised her hand feebly.

"...hi."

"Whatever..." said Senel, walking through the hole in the wall.

"Welcome to the group Norma," I said as Will let go of her and motioned for her to go first. "I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun."

"Yeah..."

It didn't take long for us to exit the forest. The path we were taking only moved around the side of the area as opposed to straight through it. Senel suddenly bent over, picking up something that glinted in the late afternoon sunlight.

"This is Shirley's brooch!" he said loudly. We all crowded around him.

"That means they came this way," I said.

"Brooch?" said Norma, ever the item freak. Did she already forget that we had just kidnapped her? "Ooh, what's it look like? Let me see! Let me see!" Senel quickly put it away. "Hey! Why are you hiding it? Come on..."

"Wait for me Shirley," said Senel, taking off into a jog.

"Wait we're running?" said Norma as Will and Chloe made to follow him.

"Come on Norma, we're on a rescue mission!" I said, hoping to excite her a bit. Dead on.

"Rescue? A perfect quest for my new party!" she said cheerfully, breaking into a jog. I stuck with her just in case she lagged a bit. We didn't need to lose our newest member so quickly. "But, really do we have to run?"

XxxxX

Meanwhile... on a beach somewhere.

A squad of soldiers clothed in red stood at attention behind a woman in stylized armor. The very same woman who had crushed the Bandit's Lair earlier. She looked to her left as a man in black armor and wearing a mask that covered all but his mouth came into view, his heavily armored boots making deep imprints in the sand.

"You're late Stingle," said the woman sharply. The man, Stingle, said nothing, staring at the woman calmly behind his mask. After a moment he looked to his right at the squad who tensed perceptibly. The stood there in silence for another few minutes until a new squad of soldiers, all of the same faction could be seen coming down the beach from directly ahead. Within a minute they had stopped directly in front of the woman, two more imposing figures joining them from the back. The lead wore a great suit of red armor that gave him the look of a demon. His large cape billowed in the wind. The man's companion was wearing much lighter armor that the other, though the bottom half of his face was covered with a mask, leaving only his eyes and above visible. The man in front stepped forwards and the woman and Stingle saluted him.

"Melanie, have you located the Merines girl?" he asked in a strong voice. The voice of a general.

"Yes, sir," said Melanie. "We are currently in pursuit." The commander crossed his arms.

"Give me a detailed report."

"Yes, sir. Around noon we tracked the Merines to the Bandit's Lair and attempted to extract her. Unfortunately the bandits proved to be a bigger nuisance that we initially expected they would and the Merines was taken before we could fully breach the facility." _If one could even call it that,_ she thought with disgust. That damned bandit leader had caused her too much trouble. She was still seething about it. In particular the way he spoke to her was infuriating. She took a breath before continuing, not wanting to mess up her report. "The Merines was taken through the Crystal Forest and is likely to be moved through the Secret Passage. We aren't close enough to make a definitive move, however we have scouts keeping close track of her movements."

"Excellent, thank you Melanie," said the commander. He looked back to the man at his right and motioned to the two in front of him. He nodded and immediately joined the two at Stingle's left.

"Cashel, order the troops to be ready to move out at any time. We will need to be swift and we won't have much notice."

"Yes, sir." The commander turned around and left the way he came, taking the rear half of the squad with him. After he was gone Cashel turned to the other two. "Hehehe. Cashel, Melanie, and Stingle. It's been a while since the Terrors have been assembled like this." He scratched his chin over his thin mask. "I left the good fighting on the mainland to come to this ship in the middle of nowhere. I'd better get to have some fun."

"No doubt, Cashel," said Melanie, thinking of the bandit leader again. "There is much fun to be had... we need only grab it."

XxxxX

_**Friendly Fire**_

_Norma: Well, I come in handy, don't I?_

_Chloe: It is comfortable to have support from the back line._

_(Senel and Shayne walk over)_

_Senel: Yeah, but you almost hit us with some of your attacks._

_Shayne: (Rubs his back) Almost?_

_Norma: Ah... hah hah! That's just your imagination._

xxx

It was getting late again. The sun was beginning to dip behind the mountains, though night time was still hours away. Long shadows were cast over the area. Fortunately we didn't have to travel much further before we came near the entrance of the passageway that our flying friend was taking refuge at. Though he couldn't be seen from far away, we were all drawn towards the area simply by all the red stone that much of the old era architecture was made from. Turning a bend we came to a small handful of steps that ended a path leading to our targets. Senel was quick to move.

"There she is! Shirley!" he shouted. We all looked ahead to see Walter quickly getting to his feet. Shirley was apparently still unconscious, encased in the floating purple sphere.

"That girl all slumped over there is Senny's sister?" said Norma in surprise, looking at them. To prevent her from talking too much earlier we had taken the liberty of giving her the basic outline of what had happened so far. "No way, she really _is_ floating in mid air!" Walter quickly turned his back to us and a second later the large wall behind him slid open. He dashed inside, the sphere following him, before the wall slid shut again.

"Dammit, just missed him," I said in annoyance as we ran over. Will was looking at the wall, running his hands over it.

"A door of some sort, clearly," he said with a frown. "Do you think it's the entrance to some ruin?"

"How are we supposed to get in there?" said Chloe in frustration. Norma just laughed a bit.

"What are you worried about?" she asked easily. "We can just open it ourselves." She turned and put a glowing hand on the door. We all watched as nothing happened.

"I don't know if you noticed, but it's still closed," said Senel, crossing his arms. Norma rounded on all of us.

"Ugh, don't just stand there, help me out!" she said angrily. "Put your hands on the door, like me. Come on!" Lining up we all placed a hand on the door, the power of eres gloving in our hands. Immediately the door glowed and slid open. Norma gave a small cheer. "All right! Nothing can stop the five of us!"

"What just happened?" asked Chloe, looking at her hand.

"Using the power of eres, you can open up doors in ruins that are normally shut tight," said Norma with a knowing nod. "Isn't that cool?"

"Let's go inside," said Will, taking the lead. Senel and Chloe followed at once. Norma of course, was still talking.

"_Now_ do you see why I made you my team? Treasure hunters and eres- hey! Why are you pushing me?" she said suddenly, looking back at me.

"How about we don't get left behind again, sound good?" I asked, continuing to push her forwards. The door slid shut behind me, leaving us in a lowly lit passage.

"Norma don't fall behind!" came Will's voice from ahead. We both ran to catch up to the other three who we found at the top of a wide and partially collapsed staircase, leading down into darkness. It was quite deep. "To think there were ruins here," continued Will, looking around in interest. "I didn't realize it the last time I came."

"It looks like a passageway of some sort," said Chloe, kicking a piece of fallen ceiling. "An old one."

"Oh I know," said Norma suddenly. "This must be that thing!"

"That thing?"

"What thing?" asked Senel.

"The secret passage made during the era of the Kingdom of Terises," she explained as if it were obvious. "You haven't heard of it?"

"No," said Will with a frown. "Though I'm surprised _you_ have."

"Well she _is_ a world-class treasure hunter, Will," I said, rubbing Norma's head. "Have you forgotten already?" She quickly swatted away my hand.

"Impressive," said Chloe, missing the light sarcasm. Norma flattened her hair and took a few steps away from me so she was out of my range.

"Well, I do have a cheat sheet. I've got the records my teacher left me."

"You have a teacher?" Will asked in interest. Norma grinned fondly.

"Oh yeah, he's a real scoundrel, let me tell you. He-"

"We don't have time for stupid gossip," interrupted Senel, turning to the stairs. "We need to catch that guy."

"Hey, don't call it stupid!"

"Whatever it is, it'll have to wait," I said, moving to Senel's side and pulling out my tonfas. "It looks like we have company." Our voices had apparently drawn our guests from below. In the low light we could see a number of short floating monsters that looked like they had dresses. I recognized them as Ere's. Monsters that could cast crystal eres of specific types depending on the Ere itself.

"Watch out!" said Senel, pushing me aside as he dodged left. Lightning struck exactly where we were just standing, scorching the ground. "Chloe, let's go!"

"Right behind you!" she said, rushing forwards, sword drawn. I got up quickly and followed.  
"Fire Ball" shouted Will, shooting a number of fiery spheres ahead of us, illuminating the stairs well below us. There were at least a dozen enemies. Walter must have just flown over them, leaving them for us to have to deal with. Movement to my right made me kick out reflexively, connecting with something soft and fairly light. A small creature flew into the side wall and didn't get back up. I recognized it as an Egtopus, a little monster that looked like a cooked egg. Seriously these things actually existed?

"Watch out for the little guys!" I shouted, running up to a thunder ere. "They can crush you if you're not careful!"

"Not a problem," said Chloe easily, slicing two of them in half smoothly before going into a Sword Rain Tiger combo on a nearby ere. Watching her string together attacks was like art.

"Grave!" shouted Norma, impaling one of the ere's on a spike of earth.

"Shayne, got one for you!" shouted Senel, grabbing one of the knocked over ere's by the leg and throwing it towards me. I charged the eres in my right hand. I still only knew Raging Blast which was something for an empty hand to use, not one holding a weapon. However, I had enough practice on the way over to create a variation of it.

"Raging Strike!" I shouted, connecting the front of my tonfa with the poor monster. It was thrown down the stairs into darkness. I was sure it wouldn't be getting back up. God I loved that move. I spun my tonfas so they were extended out like batons and sung at another ere. This one however dodged back and blasted me with a Lightning. I sank to my knees, more shocked that anything, twitching as the electricity coursed through my body. It was painful but manageable. About to counter attack I stopped as a sword relieved the ere of its head.

"Shining Gale," said Chloe softly, lowering her blade. "You alright Shayne?"

"Yeah," I said standing and looking around. Senel was spiking an eggtopus into the ground like a volleyball player.

"Damn tiny monsters are such a nuisance," he grumbled. "Let's keep moving." He and Chloe took point while I dropped back to check on our crystal erens.

"How are you two holding up casting wise?" I asked. "We've been taking on a lot of groups since the Crystal Forest."

"A little tired, but nothing I can't handle," said Will. "What about you Norma?"

"About half way?" she said. "I've got a couple Orange Gel's if I need them though."

"Alright, just checking," I said. "Let's hurry, the winged guy isn't that far ahead."

We reached the bottom of the stairs after a little while, having to fight once more, though it was a much smaller group and we took them out without effort. As we made our way into a large room the ground suddenly shook heavily.

"The hell?" I said, grabbing Chloe from behind to stop her from falling. The shake ended after a second and everyone regained their balance. "The Legacy has earthquakes?"

"Well it does shake sometimes," said Will, "but I've never felt an earthquake like this before."

"Are you sure it's even safe for us to be down here?" asked Chloe.

"We don't have a choice," said Senel.

"There he is!" shouted Norma, pointing ahead. We looked forwards to see Walter landing next to Shirley, turning to face us. We all moved forwards and took battle stances. I wasn't personally looking forward to this but at the same time I couldn't help but doubt the game. Could he really take us all on at once without effort?

"So... you managed to come this far." he said, looking at us all in slight interest. Norma moved closer to Chloe.

"Hey, you know, up close he doesn't look that bad..." she whispered, though all of us could hear her.

"You're not getting away this time!" said Senel loudly, taking a step forwards. Walter put out his hand and Shirley was released from the purple sphere, floating slowly to the floor, unconscious.

"You...," began Walter, his voice distinctly more aggressive. "I've had enough of you. I will bury you, right here and now!"

XxxxX

**A/N:** Seriously, Walter has anger issues when it comes to Senel. I'd have to assume it's because Senel is so clearly displaying himself that is officially Walter's job. About the Crystarantula, if you've played the game than you know that that particular boss battle is a joke. The thing's just a big target to pound on. I hope the way I portrayed that battle helped to reinforce my saying that I will be doing a few things differently. Also, don't expect boss battles to be super amazing affairs, though I will do my best. Combat can be won in a second by either side if someone gets lucky. All it takes is a stab to the right place to send even the largest foes to their deaths. I also know I haven't brought in the Climax Mode stuff, but I've got a nice idea for it so you'll see it after a while. Altered to fit reality of course. No 10 second time stopping.

Also, you should have noticed the portion where it was no longer first person. Though it will be predominantly Shayne's FP experience, this isn't a journal, it's still a story. So don't be surprised when the occasional shift of perspective happens (they're all for your benefit after all).

Next time, I get to meet otters! Ors!


	8. We Find Talking Otters

It took me less than three seconds to realize we were outmatched. As we made our way down the long stairwell only minutes before, I was constantly rolling this coming battle over in my thoughts. It was a story battle. Walter could only damaged by an insignificant amount and could not be defeated. Even _if_ he could lose all of his health it wouldn't affect anything. After a handful of seconds the battle was interrupted and the story continued. And yet, within moments of the battle beginning I knew by the intense rage in Walter's eyes that we would need to do everything to survive. The reason I could see his eyes so clearly was because in a second he had dashed between Senel and Chloe, attacking me at the center.

I leaned back out of instinct, dodging the hard punch he aimed at my head but that was as lucky as I got. He hammered my chest and gut with a rapid combo before jumping up and back slightly shouting, "DelQues!" I crashed backwards, skidding several feet beyond the two crystal erens, who looked at me in shock.

"Shay!" Norma's shout was lost in a roar from Senel and Chloe, attacking Walter's back simultaneously. He quickly turned and dodged the slash, knocking Chloe's sword aside with his fist and putting her off balance, smoothly flowing into a fierce kick that caught Senel in the left shoulder which sent him careening into Chloe, causing them to both fall over.

"Come!" shouted Walter, raising his hand above his head. At once his zeypher teriques appeared at his side, advancing on the two iron erens. Walter turned back to Will and Norma who were closer to me now.

"Norma, get back!" shouted Will, stepping forward with his hammer on his shoulder. "Fire Ball!" Walter guarded the attack easily and sped forward. Will took a brutal one-handed swing with his hammer forcing Walter to slide under it, bringing himself into Will's guard. He kneed Will in the side and grabbed him, throwing him to the side as Will dropped his hammer from the blow. It dropped to the ground with a crash.

"What the hell! This thing's completely different from earlier!" shouted Senel in alarm as he blocked a strike from the teriques, forcing him back a number of feet. Chloe darted in swiftly.

"Sword Rain Tiger!" Her arcane eres did little but push the teriques back, not really causing it too much damage. "Coolidge, we need to attack it together!"

"Pathetic," growled Walter, rushing at Norma who was petrified, unable to cast anything. She put her hands over her head in a vain attempt to protect herself. The blow never reached her however. I intercepted the attack a foot in front of her, blocking Walter's attack with my tonfas. Like I was about to let someone who could knock Will over get at the frailest member of the group.

"Right here buddy," I said, eyes focused on Walter's body to anticipate his moves. "It's bad to hit girls." I moved in with a few upper strikes, spinning my tonfas to extend my reach, but he managed to dodge and block them all. His return attacks were more more manageable than before as I wasn't being caught off guard. I used my tonfas to absorb the damage and nullify a kick at my side, though I managed to drop my right tonfa. Thinking he had me he darted at my unprotected side, unaware of the energy I was charging in my hand. I barely dodged his glowing fist before shoving my hand into his chest.

"Raging Blast!" The blast of energy knocked Walter backwards off of his feet though not as far as I hoped. He must have dodged back at the last second to reduce the impact.

"First Aid!" called Will, casting the minor heal on Senel. There was blood running down his arm from a row of punctures that had to be bite marks. Chloe was struggling with the teriques that had her sword in its mouth. It took a stab at her side with its claws but Senel managed to get to her side and block the attack. Walter got back to his feet but suddenly the ground shook violently.

"Shit- another quake!" I shouted. Cracks spider-webbed all over the ceiling as the high pitched snap of breaking stone filled the area. "Will get away from the entrance!" I dragged Norma further into the room while Will grabbed his hammer and moved forward as well.

"Shirley!" shouted Senel in panic, seeing the stone pillar begin to collapse. Walter immediately darted towards Shirley, his teriques pushing Senel and Chloe aside roughly. A number of stones fell throughout the room, forcing my eyes to my immediate surroundings so as to keep myself and Norma alive. Senels voice cried out again, cutting through the din of falling rock all around us. "NO! Shirley!"  
"Coolidge!"

Dust filled the air thickly as the quake subsided. After such a huge amount of noise and confusion the calm that followed was almost eerie. A rough cough came from ahead of me.

"Shit I can barely see anything," said Senel, pushing himself to his feet. The dust settled somewhat and we were all able to make out the pillar that had fallen in front of us, obscuring everything beyond it. He quickly started clambering up the side of the stone. "Shirley, please tell me-" he let out a breath of relief as he reached the top of the rubble. "Thank god, she wasn't crushed. She's okay!" he called back to us, dropping to the other side and out of sight.  
"Well that's a relief," said Chloe, helping Will to his feet. He thanked her softly.

"I can't believe it," he said, moving to the pillar and staring at it hard. "He sacrificed himself to save Shirley, yet he kidnapped her. Why..."

"Let's worry about that later, Will," I said, looking at the man. "Why don't you go and see if Shirley needs any healing. That was still one hell of a shake."

"Yeah, come on Chloe," said Will, making his way over the rubble. Chloe picked up her sword and dusted it off before sheathing it, a few steps behind Will. That finished I looked back at the final member of the group. Norma was still on her knees like myself, though she was completely silent. Her eyes were closed and her hands clenching her leggings. It was a mark of how out of character she seemed that I was completely caught off guard.

"Norma, you alright?" I said gently, putting a hand on her shoulder. Norma gave a start, flinching away from the touch. I blinked. This was new.

"S-sorry," she said quietly, looking at me sidelong. "I don't like being inside collapsing tunnels while being attacked by someone who can toss Teach like he's a stuffed animal..." The surprise on my face slowly fell away into a small smile. Every time I though I understood something about the changes from the game to real life, someone threw me a curve. Who would have thought that the hyperactive, materialistic, and impulsive Norma could have a side like this? "W-why are you smiling like that?" she said nervously. Clearly this wasn't something she ever liked anyone else to see.

"So you're a real person after all, huh?"

"What's that supposed to mean," she snapped. My smile just got wider. I stood up and offered her a hand. She took it after a second, standing and dusting off her legs. I noticed her straw 'weapon' a few feet away to my left and grabbed it for her.

"Nothing, I'm glad you're alright," I said, holding out the straw. "Looks like our way back out is completely blocked. The whole passageway collapsed, damn."

"I was useless in that battle," muttered Norma flatly, taking her weapon and sliding it into thin the holster she wore on her left thigh.

"Do you want me to be mad at you or something?" I asked, looking down at the girl with my eyebrows raised. "That guy hit really hard and you're a long range eren. No one expects you to fight close up, that's what I'm there for. Ah, Senel and Chloe too," I added quickly.

"Yeah but still-" Norma was cut off as a large chunk of pillar rubble burst apart sending fragments everywhere. I moved in front of Norma protectively as a couple of small pieces bounced harmlessly off my back. Walter was standing in the center of the obliterated section, surrounded by his purple energy sphere. It dissipated after a second and he fell to one knee.

"You're still alive?!" came Chloe's shout. I ran closer, Norma at my back. Walter glanced back at us then at the rest of the group.

"You haven't heard the last of me!" he managed, clutching his side. The wings materialized on his back and he took off, flying deeper into the passageway and out of sight. Norma and I joined the others as they watched Walter disappear.

"Jeez he's like a bad cold or something," said Norma, much more like her normal self. I just grinned.

"Bad news guys," I said. "The way we came in is completely caved in. We're going to have to find another way out..." I glanced down at Shirley who was still unconscious. Senel knelt at her side, still looking her over to make sure she was alright.

"I was afraid of that," said Will, crossing his arms. "We'll start exploring but I'd like to wait until Shirley has regained consciousness." Right on cue, Shirley shifted slightly with a small moan.

"Shirley," said Senel quickly, shifting her so that he was propping her head up a bit.

"Senel?" said the girl slowly. She tried to sit up and Senel helped position her against a fairly flat piece of stone.

"I'm here Shirley, you're safe now," said Senel. There relief was clear in his voice. Will knelt as well, a smile on his face.

"It's good to see that you're alright," he said kindly. Shirley however apparently just noticed that she wasn't just with Senel and gave a start, recoiling slightly.

"Don't startle her!" said Senel sharply. Will stood up looking disgruntled.

"That wasn't my intent..." Norma just giggled.

"Hahaha, she's scared of you, Teach," she said cheerfully. Will just reached over and knocked her over the head. "Ow!"

"Shirley, these people have been helping me look for you," explained Senel, ignoring the commotion. "We can trust them. She's Chloe, the big guy is Will, the annoying one is Norma, and that's Shayne." We all nodded as Shirley's eyes went from one of us to the next, except for Norma who was huffing over being called annoying.

"Thank you so much for all you've done for me," she said softly, in the timid voice I knew so well.

"It is only natural to aid those in distress," said Chloe at once, ever the honorable knight. "You need not feel obliged." Shirley just stared at her somewhat taken aback by her forwardness. "Why are you staring at me? Is there something on my face?" Shirley just shook her head. Will cleared his throat.

"Right, well I wanted to ask, are you feeling well Shirley? Do you have any injuries? I know a little healing eres." Shirley just shook her head. "Well that's good, I was afraid you might have sustained something with all the rough handling you've been getting."

"Can you stand?" said Senel, taking a step back. Shirley began to mover her legs a bit but after a few seconds I couldn't take it anymore.

"I got ya," I said cheerily, coming over and lifting her up like a baby out of a stroller. I held her straight out in front of me while she looked at me completely bemused. Even Senel wasn't sure how to react. Let me digress for a moment. As an avid fan of the game, I always liked the artwork that went with it, especially the character concept art. However, while I though most of it was awesome, like Will's for example, I always hated how they drew Shirley. It depressed me until I started looking at fan art, which was fantastic and I fell in love with. What's the point? Shirley was absolutely adorable, and this existence I was living was certainly not disappointing me.

"I- um..." Shirley stammered, her face growing red while I continued to beam at her.

"Senel is so lucky to have a cute little sister like you," I said, lifting her slightly more. Her hands instantly went to her skirt, though there was no risk of anyone seeing anything.

"Um... thanks?" she said in confusion. Realizing what I was doing I quickly set her down on her feet, though gently. She quickly took two steps back from me, hiding slightly behind Senel.

"Sorry about that, I couldn't help it," I said with a small laugh, scratching the back of my head. "Maybe I have a little sister too? That felt like instinct ya know?" Knuckles lightly wrapped on my head, making me look around.

"Don't be an air head," said Will, shaking his head slightly, though I swore I could see a faint smile on his face. "One's enough in this group." I just laughed. "Now let's all get to bit of a cleaner area than here. It's probably night time now and we've been moving since early morning, so we need to rest for the night. Plus," he added, looking at the ceiling. "I'd rather not be in a spot where we could get crushed in our sleep."

"Agreed," said Chloe. She walked a bit away from the group. "I'll take point this time."

"Just hang on a little longer, Shirley," said Senel.  
"I'm sorry this all happened because of me..." she mumbled miserably. Jeez did she really believe that?

"It's not your fault," assured Senel, patting her on the shoulder. They walked off, followed by Will and Norma. I brought up the rear.

XxxxX

"This looks good," said Will after we had been walking for about twenty minutes. The passage we were in had gotten much smaller for a while, making us worry but as I knew it had to, it widened out a bit and once again we found ourselves in a room like the one we had fought Walter. Of course, there were two huge differences in the two rooms. This one was perfectly in tact with no signs of wear from all the recent quakes, so it was likely safe enough. The other thing was that at one end of the room was a large pool that looked like the base of a fountain. Water ran into the basin from an open duct coming from the left wall and left through a similar duct into the right wall. I walked over and tested the water.

"It's fresh water," I called back to the group. "We can drink this." I saw Shirley's shoulders relax ever so slightly. She was likely worried that it was sea water. She lived a rough existence with a condition like that... The group all relaxed, sitting in a circle. We hadn't encountered a single monster since the quake. Most likely they had moved much further in to the ruins that we hadn't come upon yet, where the structure of everything was significantly more secure. Seemed like even the monsters that looked like breakfast foods were somewhat intelligent... I looked over at Norma, who had been watching Shirley for a while. Eventually she just sighed and shrugged.

"I guess the rumor about Shirl being the Merines really was just a rumor. I mean, anyone can see she's a normal person." Shirley quickly looked at Norma at the word Merines but said nothing. Senel noticed her discomfort but also remained silent. Will was watching Norma and Chloe was oblivious to it all, continuing the train of though.

"I never believed the rumors were true to begin with," she said with an unimpressed look. "I mean, the very idea is preposterous."

"Just what rumors did you hear, C?"

"That her whole body lights up, that she can breathe underwater..." I smirked at this and stood up walking to the pool of water. I was pretty tired but the rest of the group was still going strong. They made me feel old.

"Yeah, those are the same ones I heard. It's one of the legends of the Radiant," continued Norma, ignoring me.

"The Radiant... that's the name of the people from that ancient civilization who created the Kingdom of Terises," said Chloe in small wonder, trying to envision such the ancient kingdom. Norma just nodded.

"Yeah. I mean, sure, their culture might have been a little different from that of today's people, but they weren't like fireflies or fish, you know?"

"Alright, can we talk about something else now?" snapped Senel in frustration. Norma and Chloe looked over at him in surprise at his aggression. Shirley just looked at him reproachfully.

"Senel, don't-" but she broke off. I was currently washing my face but I caught the sudden halt of conversation. Did the Oresoren show up? I turned to find a very wide range of expressions facing me.

"What?" I said uneasily.

"On your back..." said Shirley dimly. I immediately knew what she was talking about. I had taken off both of my shirts so that they wouldn't get wet while I washed up. It was also surprisingly warm underground.

"Shay, I had no idea how much you liked butterflies," said Norma, laughing. I looked at Will flatly and jerked my head at Norma. He reached over an knocked her over the head deftly. "Ow!"

"Norma, don't be rude," said Chloe patiently. "I will say though that's an interesting tattoo, Shayne."

"Ah you think so? Thanks," I said somewhat embarrassed. I wasn't really used to people talking about me and tattoos in the same sentence, as I'd never had one before meeting Lyra.

"May I see it closer?" asked Shirley. I couldn't help but blink. I knew she would recognize it for what it was but still that was probably the most forward thing she'd ever said for the majority of the game when she wasn't possessed by the sea god. Being possessed made her a tad bit aggressive.

"Of course, I don't mind," I said, crouching down in front of her so she wouldn't have to move. Unfortunately from this position I couldn't see her face. I glanced at Senel who's eyes were flickering from me to Shirley rapidly.

"Where... did you get this?" asked Shirley once she was finished. I pulled my undershirt back on and joined the circle between Senel and Chloe. Absently I polished the cores on my armored shirt.

"I don't know, I lost my memory about four months ago and was found outside Will's home town here on the ship," I explained. "All I know is my name, Shayne. Don't know anything about my past or family or whatever." I shrugged. "Why do you want to know?" Shirley quickly shook her head.

"I'm sorry I was just curious, it's very interesting."

"I agree," said Will. "It reminds me of some old drawings I've seen, though I can't remember where." He shook his head slightly. "Anyway, I think though that we should cut it off here for the night. Let's get some sleep. I'll take the first watch this time..."

I ended up taking the second watch, after which I woke up Chloe who took the third. Now that there were more of us we could each get more sleep. The next morning I woke to the sound of people talking.

"Once we return to the city, Shirley will be under my protection."

"Wait a minute, says who?" said Senel. I sat up. Senel and Will were arguing. "We were only supposed to be together until I got Shirley back." He motioned obviously to Shirley. "I got Shirley back." Will just sighed.

"I can't let her out of my sight until this Merines business cools down."

"Like hell you can't!"

Looking around I saw that Chloe and Norma were both by the water, washing up a bit. I noticed a single sandwich sitting on a small cloth within reach. Ravenous, I devoured the thing before tucking the cloth away in a pocket. I stretched and stood, pulling on my shirt. That's when I noticed that Shirley was preoccupied by the otter that was standing a couple of feet away from her, staring at her in interest.

"Ors?"

"Will, seriously you don't have to worry about us," continued Senel, oblivious to our new guest. "I'm taking Shirley off this ship as soon as possible. We'd be a lot safer on the mainland anyway." Will scratched his chin.

"Well that would be the wisest thing to do." Chloe and Norma were now walking over, chatting about something.

"Did you hear that Shirley?" said Senel, turning to her. "Once we get out we can..."

"Ors?" There was a long silence as everyone in the group stared at the otter.

"Uh, who are you?" said Norma flatly. The otter just put up his hand in greeting.

"I'm Pippo, of the Oresoren. Pleased to meet you!"

"It's a talking otter," said Norma in that same flat tone.

"I'm a Bard," continued Pippo, pulling out a small harp and strumming it. Apparently Pippo was not too quick when it came to reading a crowd.

"A talking otter who plays harp," corrected Norma. Chloe turned on her.

"Norma don't be rude." Norma instantly rounded on her.

"Well come on, look at it!" Will sighed, tilting his head to the side.

"It's an otter."

"See? I told you!"

"Did you come to visit our village?" asked the Oresoren, looking around at us excitedly. "Oh, but I'm sorry, the village has already moved."

"You have a village?" asked Will in interest.

"Shall I show you the way? We're very close," he said. Will looked around at us and shook his head.

"I'm intrigued, but I think we should decline. We don't know what kinds of dangers lurk in this underground passageway, and there's always the possibility of it being some kind of trap."

"Ors?" Pippo looked confused and it was having an effect on the girls. Norma and Chloe were muttering something I didn't make out. Shirley just smiled and hugged herself slightly.

"He's just so _cute_..."

"Teach!" said Norma suddenly. "How could you possibly doubt cute, little, innocent Pippy?" The girls were all glaring at him.

"Hey, it's not that I doubt him..."

"I don't think we have a say in this, Will," I said with a shrug. His shoulders seemed to droop a little.

"All right then, Pippy!" said Norma excitedly. "We'll follow you anywhere!" Pippo's eyes lit up happily.

"Oh wonderful! This way everyone." He turned and started walking down the path. The girls quickly followed with the guys close behind. We were walking for a little while before Norma dropped back a bit from the girls and drew level with Will.

"Hey Teach, I was wondering, why was that guy from earlier so strong? We seriously had him five to one!"

"More like five to two," said Chloe, also thinking back to the battle. "That creature we fought was very strong as well."

"Well I don't know anything about the monster he seemed to summon, but I had a thought about the guy himself," said Will with a frown.

"I was wondering about that myself," said Senel. "I've fought him before and he certainly wasn't that fast or as strong before. I was able to at least go toe to toe with him for a little while last time but this time he blew right by me before I even realized it."

"Right," said Will. "Well it's not very common, but skilled erens are able to enter a state that pushes them past their limits, allowing them to fight at a much higher level."

"Erens have a super mode?" I asked in interest.

"In a sense," he said. "I've only really managed to enter it once or twice and it didn't last for very long but the effects were obvious. I haven't really experimented with it much because of my work."

"What kind of effects are we talking about?" asked Senel. This was the most interest he had ever shown in anything, apart from rescuing Shirley, since I'd met the kid.

"Heightened senses, stronger eres, more energy?" said Will with a shrug. "Have you ever been in a dangerous fight where suddenly things seemed to slow down a bit and you felt unstoppable?"

"Now that you mention it..." Chloe stopped walking, staring out into space. We all slowed down but I hooked an arm around her to keep her moving. Pippo was still moving like the conversation wasn't even happening. "Ah, sorry," she said, picking up her pace. "That has happened to me," she continued. "What about you, Coolidge?" Senel nodded.

"Yeah that's happened to me too, though never on purpose," he said. "I guess I never really gave it too much thought. I just felt like I was in the zone." He looked at me expectantly. I just shrugged.

"Memory loss, remember?"

"Ah, right... so Will is there a name for it?"

"There's a lot of random names, but calling it an Over Limit suits it well," said Will with a shrug. "Keep it in the back of your head if you ever feel like you're getting close. It's certainly not a bad skill to possess and you never know when you could use an extra burst of power."

"We've arrived!" called Pippo from the front of the group. We walked through an open gate of some sort to find ourselves on the outskirts of what was clearly a town once inhabited by creatures that loved scallops. All the emptied out buildings and shops were shaped like them. Of course the entire place was filled with dust and abandoned. In all honesty they looked like they had been in a rush about it too.

"Check this place out," said Norma, getting a kick out of the architecture.

"Pippo!" came a voice from ahead of us.

"Quppo!" shouted Pippo happily.

"Looks like another one," I said. "Think they're related?"

"The name's pretty similar I will say that," said Will.

"Greetings!" said the new Oresoren. "I'm Quppo of the Oresoren." The group gave a general greeting.

"My brother Quppo is the greatest martial artist of the Oresoren," Pippo said proudly. Norma just looked from Pippo to Quppo blankly.

"Martial... artist?" She gave me a look that clearly said, 'Are you _kidding_ me?' Quppo however made his way into the group and stopped in front of Senel, Chloe, and myself. He stared into each of our eyes for a minute while we all stood there silently.

"You three have the eyes of a true warrior. Just like mine," he said finally.

"Uhh... thanks," mumbled Senel and Chloe, clearly embarrassed.

"Oh, me too?" I said, more surprised than anything.

"It's true you are somewhat different from these two," he said, motioning to Senel and Chloe, "but that makes you no less the warrior." Jeez the otter talked like my old master from the dojo. It really didn't get any weirder than this. I actually had to resist bowing to him out of respect. Maybe when we finally did make it to the Oresoren Village I'd have a longer chat with him.

"Thank you," I said with a nod.

"Man this is just bizarre," said Norma, looking from the two Oresoren to the village. Seeing their confused looks she just explained, "I mean I had no idea anything like the Oresoren existed in the first place."

"Nor did I, and I'm quite familiar with the going-ons of the Legacy," said Will in understanding. "I've been here for ten years and haven't even heard a rumor."

"Oh, we've know about you all forever," said Pippo. "I've been to your city many times." At this we all sweat dropped.

"S...seriously?" asked Norma in disbelief.

"The townspeople must have looked at you quite strangely," said Will hesitantly, as if half not wanting an answer. As usual, Pippo had absolutely no skill at reading the mood and continued on in his excited, cheerful voice.

"Not at all! They were all very nice! Even when I just stood there without saying anything, people gave me food!" I forced down a snort of laughter when I head my companions mutter something about them being pets under their breaths. Will quickly cleared his throat.

"Ahem. At any rate... these kinds of surprises occur quite often when you live on the Legacy," he said tactfully changing the subject. Chloe just nodded.

"What surprised me was that eres could open the door to the ruins. I never imagined that I could use my eres like that." I could see the glint in Will's eye and I knew we were in for another small history lesson.

"It's only been fifty years since erens first began appearing among humans. However, in the Kingdom of Terises, it may have been common for everyone to use eres."

"What do you think caused it?" I asked, interested in what he might say. Will scratched his chin for a moment.

"Well," he began, "it seems the most logical thing that the ability to use eres, the hallmark of an eren, is genetic, else it should have been appearing in humans for ages past. My theory is that descendents of the Kingdom of Terises must have mixed with humans and had offspring." I crossed my arms. It was what I had figured as well.

"Then that would mean that either the mix happened ages ago and the eren 'gene' just took centuries and centuries to surface in humans _or_," I kept my eyes locked on Will, "there are potentially descendents of Terises still around within the last century and the effect was pretty immediate." I looked around at the rest of the group and was not disappointed by what I saw. Chloe and Norma were both fascinated, Senel was less than pleased, and Shirley was looking very uncomfortable. "Of course," I continued with a grin, "the second choice is pretty much impossible because even if descendents did still exist in the kind of numbers that could make erens appear in humans, we're talking about all over the world and I can't really see a group that had been hidden out of sight for so long to just suddenly decide to, err, sow the world?" Will just sighed at the inelegant metaphor.

"I also agree with you," he said, drawing all eyes to him. "The randomness of erens in humans and the fact that they have been born all over the world could really only mean that the mix happened long enough ago that a good portion of the world's population of humans all have some trace to Terises."

"You two realize that's pretty revolutionary right?" said Norma, crossing her arms. "I've been to school, and you probably don't believe me but I paid attention when it came to the Kingdom of Terises. Most research these days is focused on their origins and history. I've never heard of anything like this related to erens really."

"Maybe when this is all over we can write a paper on it?" I said to Will. The look he gave me told me instantly that I had potentially trapped myself in this game for the rest of my life.

"Shayne that's an excellent idea, I didn't realize you were interested in the scholarly life." I put up my hands quickly.

"Trust me I'm not," I assured him. "It just sounds like fun ya' know?"

"Great, Teach the Second... ow!" Will just knocked her over the head. I laughed quietly. Chloe cleared her throat, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Clearly she wasn't through with the subject.

"Why did the Kingdom of Terises fall?" she asked.

"Now _that_ is one of history's greatest unknowns," said Will. "No one has been able to provide a real explanation for the fall of Terises."

"For that matter, no one knows why they built their kingdom on board a ship, either," said Norma with a shrug. Will turned to her.

"Well, if the Cataclysm really occurred, that might tie in to the explanation."

"What's the Cataclysm?" asked Pippo suddenly. We all gave a little jump. We had completely forgotten about our furry guests.

"The Cataclysm was a great disaster said to have struck the world several thousand years ago," explained Will. "Supposedly, half the world's land sunk into the sea." Pippo actually gave a small shake.

"How scary." I saw Senel whisper something into Shirley's ear and she nodded to him. Quietly they walked off back in the direction we came from. The others paid them no mind as they continued to chat but I was curious about what they would talk about this time around. Surely more than just a here's your brooch. I slid out of the conversation as well and made my way silently after the two until I could hear them talking behind an abandoned building. I stopped before the corner, making sure that if they started walking back it would look like I was just on my way to get them.

"-found my brooch? Oh, that's wonderful! I thought I'd never see it again..." said Shirley in delight. She really was completely different when she was just around Senel. Being forced to live alone with him for years without seeing anyone else had really taken a toll on her social life. Even if it had been for her safety.

"Yeah, well, I know how important it is to you," said Senel.

"Thank you, Senel! I'll never lose it again!" There was silence before Shirley let out a long sigh.

"What's wrong? The conversation from earlier _was _bothering you, wasn't it?"

"No, no... I-" Shirley broke off. "Shayne isn't normal."

"What do you mean?" asked Senel sharply.

"Wait, not in a bad way," Shirley said quickly. "I just feel... _something_ from him. It's odd."

"That tattoo on his back was a Teriques, wasn't it," said Senel. It was not a question.

"Yes," said Shirley. "I've been dying to know why he has it and what it could possibly mean but he's lost his memory so I just don't know. The one thing I _do_ know is that he's not like me." Silently I applauded Shirley's sense not to use the word Ferines, even though they were technically alone for this conversation.

"We'll just be sure to keep an eye on him," said Senel easily. "He's mysterious for sure, but I don't see him as a threat. He was really taken by you earlier on. You know, when he picked you up-"  
"I remember stop teasing me, that was really embarrassing!" she said hotly.

"Hey don't hit me," said Senel quickly. Sweet mother of god they were both actual people too. To hear Senel teasing Shirley only for her to get hot headed was almost more than I could handle. Sure it only happened when they were in their comfort zone but that zone would eventually broaden to include everyone in the group, which I suppose meant myself as well. After all, character development was really what this whole game was about...

"Senel! Shirley!" I called, deciding not to risk hiding out any longer. I didn't need them getting more suspicious of me. "Man where did they run off to... Senel?" I walked past the end of the building to find them both staring at me.

"What's up, Shayne?" asked Senel.

"Well you both vanished for one, but I figured you two were off to have a brother to sister chat about whatever." I just shrugged. "Still, we're probably going to get moving pretty shortly and we still are in a less than perfectly safe area. Better we stick together for now."

"Ah right," said Senel, looking back at Shirley. "We're done, let's head back."

"Right," said Shirley.

"There you guys are," said Norma in exasperation as we rejoined the group. "They know a way to the surface and are going to lead us there," she said, pointing to the two Oresoren. "We're just waiting on you."

"Sorry about that, Norma," I said with a grin. She just gave me a half glare, half I don't know what and turned to our guides.

"All right, we're off to the surface!"

"Onward!" shouted the furry brothers.

XxxxX

**A/N:** Another chapter completed. Took a bit to get through this one cuz I had to think about a couple of things. You'll obviously notice right away that I made no mention of Climax Mode (for those of you uneducated in this game, it is ToL's version of the Over Limit where you do funky stuff while battling. As I might have mentioned in another A/N, an ability that freezes time for all enemies and lets all allies wail at them for 10 seconds does not fly in reality) and just straight up replaced it with the more commonly used Over Limit from Abyss, Vespera, and others. I'm not sure if I should go into making up Mystic Artes/Eres for them, but I'll think about it. The Over Limit concept works rather well and I really don't know why they went with Climax Mode in this game (but then again ToL is a big break from the Tales games in a bunch of ways, so we can just chalk it all down to them trying out new shit. It works, what's more to say. So ANYWAY, just accept the replacement as if it were canon. I've decided not to add my 2 cents as I usually do when things like that happen in the game (like for the Chaotic Zones or whatever), so yeah just roll with it.

Also, don't hate me for taking characters out of their game-shells. They are real people and have many sides to them. I just get the privilege to be the one having all the fun exploring them and playing god. Don't worry though, all characters will remain true to who they are and what they stand for.

Finally, don't forget to leave a review. I love hearing what people have to say =D

Cheers

**Amnesiac Brother:**

**"I've got to have a sister. There's just no way I could live without an adorable little sister like you." -Shayne**

**"Shayne put me down." -Shirley**


	9. Rolling in the Deep

"What's that?"

Not thirty seconds had passed since Norma had been on my case for holding us up before she was completely sidetracked. I looked over where she was pointing and saw an odd statue a little ways away. I was about to say as much when I noticed something else about the statue. It was bouncing slightly on the spot, turning slowly.

"You can't be serious... here too?" said Senel blankly, looking at the statue.

"Should we just ignore her?" asked Will.

"Too late," I said, pointing at Norma and Chloe who were already half way there. We gave a collective sigh and followed the girls. By the time we reached them the statue had disappeared in a thick cloud of pink smoke.

"Hey everyone!" said Mimi cheerfully. "Today I shall tell you all about one of my secrets. But just one!" Norma, Chloe, Shirley, and even the Oresoren were staring at her baffled. "Go ahead! Anything you want to know, just ask away." Senel just looked frustrated.

"You know, I really don't give a damn about your secrets," he said flatly. Mimi visibly deflated.

"Senel, there's no need to be so hard on her," said Will reproachfully. Chloe had her mouth slightly open. I could see her brain still trying to process what was going on.

"Wh-what's your full name?" she asked suddenly.

"Um..."

"Should I not have asked that?" said Chloe uneasily. Norma just crossed her arms.

"You did say you'd tell us a secret, you know," she said evenly. Mimi mumbled something. "What was that? I didn't hear you."

"Mimi Baker!" shouted Mimi, stomping her foot on the ground. We all just stared at her.

"Baker in a bakery..." muttered Shirley, though loud enough for all of us to hear.

"You're making fun of me!" said Mimi angrily. She looked around at all of us and then dashed off, falling flat on her face almost instantly. She got to her feet slowly. "I-I'm just getting warmed up!" We watched her run off until she was out of sight.

"Great job Senel," I said, noticing the piece of paper she seemed to have dropped. It had a recipe for a hamburger on it. "You broke her in record time."

"She's just so frustrating..." he said, putting his face in his hands.

"Am I the only one who's still confused by what just happened?" asked Chloe, looking around at the group.

"We'll tell you later..." said Will with a sigh. "Pippo, Quppo, if you would continue..."

* * *

"Where are we?" My voice echoed the thoughts of the rest of the group. After following Pippo and Quppo through a series of tunnels that were sloping downwards slightly, we ended up in a passageway marked by that distinct red stone that comprised so much of the random architecture that dotted the Legacy. It didn't take long before we followed a wide staircase down into a large and vastly deep cavern, pulling us all up short in surprise.

"Look at this place," said Senel bemusedly. We were on the upper level of what seemed to be a train station. Looking over the waist high wall we could easily make out tracks below that stretched into the distance, covered in various places by fallen parts of the stone ceiling. The room was certainly damaged from the quakes though not in a way that trapped us so far. The most interesting part however was that there were poles sticking up from the middle of the bridges that connected each side of the upper level that had what were clearly electrical lines running along them. The poles also had lamps which let out a large amount of light, filling the cavern with a soft glow.

"Are there trains on the Legacy?" I asked Will, who had come up next to me. He shook his head.

"It's not like trains are anything new but as far as I know these are the first train tracks I've seen on the ship," he said with a frown. "Most curious indeed."

"Well, the architecture and designs on everything pretty much scream Terises," said Norma with a shrug. "But considering what we saw before the old village I'm not that surprised."

"Looks like we're not alone anymore," said Chloe, pointing to some of the shadows far below us. Focusing in it was easy to make out a group of hoppers. Now that I was thinking about monsters I started to notice that much of the lower level had roving monsters, though they were keeping to the shadows and overall tolerating one another.

"Nothing we shouldn't be able to handle," I said, taking the lead and stepping onto the wide bridge. There was little choice in how to proceed with all the fallen rubble. "There's more than enough of us to keep them in check, just keep the formation tight."

"Indeed." Chloe looked back at the group then jogged a bit to fall into step beside me. "I'll take point with you." We navigated our way around the upper level, occasionally having to climb over rubble to continue. We had to cross the upper level bridges multiple times due to the collapsed ceiling. The cavern was certainly much longer than I remembered it being. Of course, that was only an area in a game. This was realistic.

A sudden crumbling sound made me turn sharply. We had reached the final bridge before the end of the upper level which had a large staircase leading to the lower level and train platform below. The tracks continued off into a dim distance in a large tunnel. Unfortunately it seemed that this bridge was weaker than it looked. The ground beneath the middle of the group buckled, giving way almost instantly and causing everyone above it to shout in surprise.

"Shit!" As fast as I could, putting my arm around Norma from behind and catching her under her arms simultaneously jumping back before the ground beneath my feet collapsed as well. Will, who had been at the back of the group moved forwards and grabbed Senel and Shirley by the wrist as they started falling, saving them from the plunge. Fortunately the ground he was standing on held firm and he was able to pull the two of them to safety.

"You two alright?" he asked, placing Shirley gently on her feet where she promptly slid to the floor. Senel moved to her side and put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"Yeah, just a little shaken up," he replied.

"Hey perv, you're squishing me," same a small voice from nearby. I looked down to see Norma glancing up at me with her eyes narrowed. My arm was still wrapped firmly around her chest. I let go quickly.

"Ah, sorry about that, you okay?" Finally able to lower her arms, she straightened out her shirt and rubbed her sides.

"Yeah just careful with the goods, I'm fragile." I couldn't help snort at this.

"Right, I'll be sure to be more gentle next time," I said with a smirk. This of course earned me a sharp jab to my shoulder. A red faced Norma walked ahead, joining Chloe at the end of the bridge. "Jeez, can't take a joke..." I turned my attention to the wide gap in the bridge. There was a good eight or nine feet separating us. "Well this complicates things somewhat."

"There's no way I can jump that," said Shirley softly, finally getting to her feet.

"I can do it but I'm not leaving Shirley on this side if she can't make it," said Senel, ever the protective brother. It was endearing to say the least.

"What about you Will?" I asked.

"Shouldn't be a problem," he responded, looking from Shirley to the gap. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" I grinned and held out my hands, shifting my feet to a much more balanced stance.

"Sure am, toss away," I said. Will nodded and turned to face the others around him.

"Alright, Senel you jump across," he said. "I'll toss the others over one at a time then follow last."

"You're going to throw me?" squeaked Shirley, already completely opposed to the idea. Will shook his head.

"Not exactly, I might be able to get you there just by tossing you but that's not really safe. I'll need you to get a running start and then I'll basically help you along. Don't worry, I wouldn't suggest this unless I didn't think it would work. Shayne agrees with me," he added, pointing to me where I still had my arms out. "Senel will be there to catch you too and I'll get our new friends here over first so you can see it'll be okay. Pippo?"

"Ors!" barked the otter bard cheerfully. Seriously could nothing get him down? He backed away a bit then darted to the gap where Will grabbed him under the arms and heaved him into the air at me. I actually had to back up a bit to catch him out of the air. It felt like catching a sack of stones.

"Damn Pippo!" I said, putting him on the ground. "You're heavier than you look."

"Thanks for catching me," he said, either ignoring or not offended by what I had said.

"Of course, now for your brother." I caught Quppo in a similar way, though he weighed even more, if that was possible. Must have been the dense muscle of a martial artist? It still baffled me to no end to think of the furry guy as a master. Placing Quppo with his brother I looked to see Will lightly lifting Shirley to test her weight.

"You're a lot lighter than those two," said Will. "This will be fine, are you okay?" Senel gave Shirley a confident squeeze around the shoulders then made the jump with me there to grab him just in case anything happened. "Ready you two?" said Will loudly.

"Ready," said Senel. "Don't be afraid Shirley, you can do it." She nodded, her mouth setting into a concentrated line. Seconds later she was flying through the air into Senel and my arms.

"You're safe, Shirley," I said with a grin. Will was jumping over now, finally reuniting the group. Shirley looked up at us and blinked.

"That was kind of fun."

"Want to do it again?" I asked. Shirley just glared at me, making me laugh.

"Come on everyone we need to keep moving," said Will, looking around. "I don't think we'll have to deal with something like that again for now, but we're going to the lower level and that means fighting."

"Right, let's move," said Senel, moving to the front.

The next ten minutes were the most brutal I've ever experienced. It started off normal enough; we plowed our way through a large group of lizardmen that were skulking at the bottom of the stairs out of the lamplight. Senel and I each took out two while Chloe claimed three. Will and Norma barely had to do anything while Quppo was content to sit back and observe the 'warriors' fight. I suppose this was a true test of our skill? Whatever it was we had barely started moving in the direction of the tunnel when our luck completely ran out.

The bridge that we were just on apparently had finally given up, the remainder of the middle and sides dropping to the lower level with a grinding crash. Unfortunately this also meant that the pole with the power lines dropped as well, trapped by the heavy stone it was imbedded in. I watched in horror as the power lines stretched and grew incredibly taught before completely snapping and whipping through the air, drowning us in complete darkness as all the lamps died. The group broke out in confused shouts and screams. It wasn't until Will lit an eres stone as brightly as he could that everyone quieted, moving towards the light as one. Will held the stone high up while Norma did the same with one of her own. The two lights were beacons against the darkness.

"Everyone calm down," said Will softly but firmly, looking around rapidly. We were all huddled together closely. "We need to keep together and move to the tunnel. Hopefully there is light ahead somewhere." I heard something shift behind me and turned rapidly to see the outline of something approaching us. My tonfas were already in my hands.

"Will, Norma, Shirley, Pippo, you four get to the center now," I said quickly. Senel and Chloe also seemed to notice that we were being surrounded by monsters. I didn't think that they could function in pitch black but there was no doubt that the ones that had been living in a dim cavern would be able to handle low light much better than us. "We need to get to that tunnel. _Now._" As we started moving in the right general direction, monsters began flooding us slowly from the darkness. Senel and Chloe were on the side that was leading the group while myself and Quppo defended the back. Norma held her eres stone as high as possible to give me the best light, casting occasionally if just to cause problems. The crystal erens were greatly weakened by the lack of long range sight. As I knocked a rushing ere aside I felt something sharp on my arm. A hopper had gotten close enough to bite me.

"Damn darkness I can barely see what's coming at me!" I spat, blasting the thing back into the darkness. Its sounds of pain were suddenly cut off as other sounds converged on it. I highly doubted it would be getting back up; it had most likely become an easy meal for its fellows. Well, they weren't called monsters by people for no reason.

"Focus your mind," said Quppo softly. I glanced at the otter. The little guy was laying out monsters like a pro. Will hadn't even needed to heal him once. His small size didn't let him put too much power into his strikes but they were all made with pinpoint precision and to devastating effect. To Will he continued, "How close are we to the tunnel?"

"About half way," said Will, blasting a wave of fireballs ahead at random. "I don't think it'll get much worse than this so we should be able to manage-"

"Don't jinx it, Teach!" shot Norma. "The bridge was bad enough!"

"If I recall properly, it was your weight that broke the bridge," muttered Will, though loud enough to hear. I heard Senel give a snort of laughter.

"Grrr." Norma just leveled her glowing hand at a group of ere. "Fire Wall!" They were neatly fried.

"Nice one Norma," I said, shooting her a quick grin before returning my focus ahead, reality falling away and entering a world of just my tonfas and my enemies. We continued to move slowly but stayed in formation to keep the center protected. Before I knew it we were in the tunnel, following the tracks into the darkness. Eventually the monsters stopped following us. They had enough to feed on back in the previous room after all.

"Is it over?" asked Shirley. Her voice was shaky. I reached over to give her back a small rub from where I was on the ground, exhausted from the high stress fighting. I could feel her quiver under my touch but she didn't shy away from it. I couldn't help but smile a bit. Small victories were still victories.

"Looks like it," said Chloe, doing her best to clean her sword. It was slick with dark blood.

"Don't you ever get tired of all this?" asked Senel, looking at the swordswoman. She glanced back at him before sharply swinging her sword, ending the movement with a small flick, sending the last drop of blood to the ground. Sheathing the sword she turned to face him.

"What are you saying, Coolidge?"

"I mean you came here to save someone you didn't even know," he said slowly, as if trying to puzzle out what he was saying as well. "You're not, I don't know, annoyed by all this? We've had more than a few close calls in the past day or so."

"I've told you before," she said easily, crossing her arms, "it's my duty to help people in need. What I feel is irrelevant."

"We should keep moving," said Will, ending the small conversation. He held up the eres stone and started following the tracks again, the rest of staying close for safety. After a number of minutes walking we came to a split in the path. The tracks led to a collapsed and blocked tunnel while a separate tunnel left the tracks behind. The odd thing was that the light from the eres stone was reflecting off of something that filled the pathway. "It's a Chaotic Zone," said Will as we got close. Senel and I visibly paled, instantly reminded of the freak egg bear that accosted us at the beginning of our journey. "Let's get through it quickly and get away from it," said Will, walking through it at once.

"Yeah," said Senel, taking Shirley's hand and pulling her thorough it. Chloe, Pippo, and Quppo quickly followed.

"Need me to hold your hand?" I teased Norma, who was looking apprehensively at the thing. She simply held her hand out to me behind her back. I just blinked at it.

"Hahaha, the look on your face," she said with a laugh. My eyes narrowed. Little chit. She just darted through the zone, leaving me in complete darkness. Clearly light didn't penetrate the thing. I quickly moved forward into the most strange feeling I've ever encountered. It felt like something cool and wet was touching every part of my body, sliding over me like it had a mind of its own. Considering that I was bathing in the lingering souls of dead and vengeful monsters... well it was creepy to say the least. I emerged from the other side into a warm glow of light making me wince slightly.

"Took your time didn't you," said Norma. "Did you need me to hold your hand?"

"Ah shut up," I said lightly. "What's with all this light?"

"Apparently the Chaotic Zones don't allow light to pass through them," said Will, observing the zone in interest. "Anyway, according to Pippo and Quppo we're going in the right direction. Let's get away from this thing. Then we can take a break and rest for a bit."

* * *

"Work, work, work!"

"Shut up!"

I hefted a large rock and tossed it to the side where the others were piling up. Despite the different things that had happened to us so far it seemed that the course of the game was still fixed on its original path. The final cave in that we would have to deal with was right on schedule, the ground shaking as soon as the spot came into view. I suppose though this was a good thing. It wasn't like we were at any risk of being accidentally killed by the place. At least, so long as we were being intelligent about it.

"Come on Shay, put your back into it!" Sighing I turned back to Norma who was sitting a number of meters away, legs splayed before her, her heels bounding on the ground slightly like she was a kid watching a fun show. Then again, I supposed that was exactly what I was looking at.

"Norma are you offering to help?" I asked.

"No way I'd die."

"Then keep quiet already," said Senel, throwing a rock to the side roughly. Will just shook his head, moving the largest of the actually manageable rocks. There were of course a good number that none of us could even budge, but we weren't exactly trying to make a path for a bus to get through. Norma just shrugged and turned to her sitting companions, the other two females of the group.

"Um, Norma..."

"What's up Shirl?"

"Ah, it's just-" I glanced back to see Shirley looking uncomfortable. She was still quite unused to having any type of confrontation with people, let alone girls her own age. Norma however was quick on the uptake.

"Heh heh, I get it. You don't like me teasing Senny?" Shirley just blushed. Leaning in Norma whispered something I couldn't hear, though I knew what she said. Shirley just flushed more, though her face worked itself into a frown.

"No."

"Norma that's quite enough," said Chloe, giving her friend a flat stare. Norma looked like she wanted to press the matter but gave it up as a bad job.

"Alright, alright, you guys are so sensitive," she said putting her hands up. "Anyway, C, I've been meaning to ask you. Why did you come to the Legacy? I mean," she gave Chloe a skeptical look, "you didn't really come here just for the sake of justice and all that did you?"

"Oh, no special reason," said Chloe at once. "I'm just looking for someone."

_'Yeah, someone who happened to murder your family,'_ I though with grim sarcasm. _'No special reason at all.'_

"What about you?" Chloe continued. "Do you have some purpose here?"

"I'm glad you asked!" said Norma loudly. I didn't even need to turn around to know she was on her feet proudly. "I've come to the Legacy in search of the Everlight! What's the Everlight, you ask? It's a miraculous jewel that can grant any wish!" I just exchanged amused looks with Will. Oh Norma, this is just so like you.

"Somehow I find that hard to believe," said Chloe. "How can something like that really exist?"

"Ooh, is that all you can say?" said Norma indignantly. "Don't you have any sense of wonder? Of adventure?"

"My senses are more based in something called reality," said Chloe dryly. I snorted in laughter. Well _that_ wasn't what she said the first time around. Norma was sputtering slightly.

"Grrr, just you wait," she said defiantly. "I swear I'll find the Everlight!" I zoned out as the conversation shifted to Shirley's brooch and Norma tried to buy it off of her for a few gald. What a cheapskate.

"Hey I've got something," said Senel suddenly, causing myself and Will to come over. Sure enough Senel had made a small hole to the other side.

"Let's see if we can make this larger," said Will. We worked together to expand the hole, while keeping the thing structurally sound. Eventually we had a good sized way through that even Will and I could make it through without too much trouble. Feeling quite accomplished we walked back to the girls who were looking a little antsy.

"We got it," said Will, getting their attention. "Let's keep moving." Norma however was looking back and forth between Senel and Shirley with a thoughtful frown.

"Senny, Shirl... you two don't really look like each other at all," she said after a moment. "Do you have any other brothers or sisters?"

"Oh," said Shirley, looking a little taken aback by the question. "I have an older sister."

"What do you care?" shot Senel, looking annoyed.

"Jeez, what's your problem," said Norma. "I was just saying you don't look like each other. Actually," she looked over at me. "Shirl looks more like Shay than anything. He's got no memories too. Long lost sibling?"

"Even without my memory somehow I highly doubt that," I said, amused at her imagination. She certainly had the creative flare for an epic adventure. Shirley was just shaking her head.

"I've never seen Shayne before in my life. Plus if he was my older brother then Mom would have had him when she was..."

"I'm twenty three." Shirley did some quick math.

"She would have been about twelve."

"Well that settles it," said Will, putting a hand on Norma's shoulder. "I'd like to get out of here today, if it's all the same to you."

"Lead the way, Teach," said Norma at once, warily watching his hand.

* * *

"This isn't normal," growled Senel, catching himself from tripping. "These shakes aren't normal!"

"The Long Long Demon must be getting close for it to be this bad," said Quppo.

"The Long Long Demon? What kind of name is that?" said Norma.

"It was the Long Long Demon that chased us from our home," explained Quppo. Will came forwards.

"Are you saying that a monster is causing these shakes?" he asked in surprise. It was the first time anyone had even presented the possibility.

"Ahhh! The Long Long Demon!" shouted Pippo, pointing to a passageway that was running parallel to ours but lower down. We were finally moving up at a steady rate. No doubt we were close to the surface.

"What is that thing? A big, giant worm?! Ew..." Norma was behind me looking grossed out.

"Unbelievable" said Chloe in shock. It rounded a bend and started coming up behind us, approaching fast. It was quite literally a giant worm with a mouth somewhere in the middle, somehow moving vertically and at an alarmingly fast speed.

"We've got to run!" shouted Quppo, tugging on my shirt to get me moving.

"Come on everyone, we're close to the exit I know it!" I said, urging the group on. I really did not want to get stuck at that door for any longer than we had to. The LLD chased us steadily, always staying close but luckily not managing to catch up sue to the lower roof of the passageway. It would open up a lot when we hit the entrance but there was nothing for it.

"Ugh, how long is this thing going to chase us for!" shouted Chloe. Clearly she didn't like the giant worm either.

"Go away!" shouted Norma.

"Less talking, more running," said Will loudly, checking their distance to the creature.

"Will we're coming up on a dead end!" I said, seeing the red stone door as it came into view. "It's just like the door we entered the place through!"

"Norma, Shayne, get that door open," said Will at once, turning to face the monster. "Chloe, Senel, we need to hold it back."

"Right!" said Senel, scowling at the thing as he took the front.

"Ugh, do I have to?" moaned Chloe, drawing her sword. "I hate worms, Twin Demon Fang!"

Norma, Shirley, and myself were by the door with the Oresoren. I couldn't flat out tell Shirley to touch it, else it would show I knew something. Still if we didn't hurry...

"Teach, how are we supposed to open this without all of us!" shouted Norma into the fray, looking panicky.

"Come on Norma we might as well try," I said holding up a glowing hand. "I mean it's worth a-" the door flashed and vanished the moment I touched it. "...shot?" Norma quickly turned around from the light.

"What did you do? Wait," she said quickly, shaking her head, "not important. Door's open come on!" We all rushed outside into wonderful warm sunlight. We were certainly high up, somewhere on the side of a mountain or a really really tall hill. The wide path stretched away to the right and out of sight. I glanced over the edge and paled slightly. We were at least a few hundred feet up. I turned to see the monster follow us outside, enraged by our very existence. Of course, like in the game it starting freaking out in direct sunlight.  
"It looks like the light is hurting it significantly," said Will in surprise. "Perhaps it comes from being underground for so long?"

"Who cares just kill it!" shouted Norma. "Fire Wall!" A large wall of flame prevented it from retreating and it was forced to move further into our range. Senel moved in and punched it rapidly with a glowing fist while Will blasted it with lightning.

"Senel let's knock it over so Chloe can cut it in half or something!" I called, moving to his side. We rushed in together, dodging the things fierce bite and struck as one.

"Demon Blast!"  
"Raging Strike!"

The worm was thrown to the ground, bent sharply at the point it emerged from the earth.

"Chloe!" She moved forwards quickly and drove her blade into the things side, before dragging it lengthwise to its root, spilling blood and who knew what else onto the grass.

"Oh gods I don't think I'll ever be able to get this out of my head," she said looking distinctly queasy. Norma, Shirley, and everyone else but myself and Senel had their view of the gore blocked by the thing's large body. Much to their fortune.

"Will, I know you'd like to study it but lets just relocate a bit away from it so Chloe doesn't get sick yeah?" I said softly so that only he could hear. I didn't want to embarrass our knight and looking weak would certainly be at the top of her list of things never to do.

"Right, let's move a bit away from here everyone," he called out, taking us a number of meters down the path. Chloe looked highly relieved and sat on the ground, taking deep breaths. I stood slightly behind her and began rubbing the space where the back of her head and neck met. She looked like she was going to say something sharp but stopped almost immediately when she realized that it was helping her relax.

"That's it," I muttered so that she could just hear me. "Just relax a bit." Pippo and Quppo were doing their fantastic victory and happiness dance, which had the others' attention. I grinned as they presented Shirley and Senel with the special shells. Here we go again.

"E-engagement?" squeaked Shirley, blushing furiously. She immediately turned away from everyone in embarrassment.

"Are you sure you want to give these to us?" asked Senel. It was one of the first times he sounded genuinely grateful for something. Certainly a far cry from his usual grouchy self.

"Of course!" said Pippo. "They're but a small token of our appreciation."

"Thanks then." Senel pocketed the shell. "So where does this path lead?" he asked, looking down the long path.

"If you follow it for a while you'll eventually get back close to your city," explained Pippo.

"Let's rest for a bit first before we set out," said Will at once.

"You still plan on following us?" said Senel with a frown. "We agreed that once I got Shirley back-"

"Given the current circumstances can you honestly call Shirley rescued?" said Will flatly. "You don't even know where we are." Senel gritted his teeth in frustration.

"That flying man might come back, you know," added Chloe from beside me. "We can't relax until we make it back to the city." Will jut nodded.

"I'm also concerned about those soldiers in red who attacked the bandits' lair," continued Will. Shirley's eyes went wide in alarm. "I just hope they didn't have anything to do with Shirley being there. If so then that's a much larger problem."

"Soldiers in red?" she said softly, looking at Senel.

"It's alright Shirley, you don't need to worry about them," said Senel quickly, rubbing her arm comfortingly.

"Anyway, like I said, we need to take a rest before moving on," repeated Will. I could see him eying the Long Long Demon, though he kept glancing at Chloe.

"We're all fine over here Will," I said, giving him a knowing look. "The break will be good for us." Chloe was practically nodding off beside me so I stopped, much to her quiet displeasure.

"Thank you," she whispered with a small nod, walking over to talk to Norma. They all said their goodbyes to the Oresoren and I watched them scurry off down the path. No doubt they would easily avoid Vaclav's soldiers.

"Just look at this specimen!" said Will in an excited voice, now walking along the dead monster, completely focused on the thing. "The mainland is home to numerous annelid as well, but this is the first time I've seen a species of this size. It would be wise to approach this from both an environmental aspect as well as a genetic aspect. Oh, I only wish we could have captured it alive." Chloe and Norma both turned to watch him in amusement. I also turned to watch him, though I kept the final two in the group in my peripheral. Senel was stealthily pulling Shirley down the path and out of sight. If I was going to do this right I'd need to follow them. As soon as they were out of sight I began my own stealthy retreat. Norma was still plowing on full steam ahead.

"I knew he was one of those super obsessed bookworm-types. Look at him, he's like a kid on his birthday! Raynard... Man, Ray-nerd is more like it. I had him pegged with 'Teach'."

"Norma don't be rude..."

I made a break for the rocks and dove out of sight. They hadn't seen me and wouldn't notice that we were gone likely for another thirty seconds or so. Still that was all the time I needed. The sudden thunderstorm would be starting up any minute now and that would likely slow the group down. Perhaps they'd even take shelter in the cave until it died down a bit. They were still far away from the city and on one liked traveling in wet clothing. One was much more likely to get sick that way anyway.

I on the other hand had no choice. Senel was walking right into an ambush laid by Vaclav and was going to get his ass tossed of this cliff. Still that was all supposed to happen. There was really nothing I could do to prevent any of it. I was just one person after all. However, I had a plan. One that I had been running over and over in my head since the day I showed up on the Legacy. It sucked. And I mean really fucking sucked. I hated what I was going to do. It was immensely risky and there was no guarantee that I, or the girls would come out of this alive. But it had the greatest chance of success, and in all honesty that was all I cared about at the moment. But for now...

"I need to catch up with them so I know when to jump in!" I dashed ahead, feeling a drop of rain on my forehead. No battling. No exploring. Just pursuing. Clouds darkened the area ominously. This was not going to be fun.

* * *

It was twenty minutes of pure movement until I finally came to the clearing that was filled with the red clad soldiers. I could barely hear anything over the pouring rain and the thunder, but Vaclav's laughter as Cashel tossed Senel off the cliff was crisp. A flash of lighting followed his fall and I almost missed the orange glow that peeked up from the cliff's edge.

"Hmm?" Vaclav had noticed it too, walking over to the edge. "Ahh, it's just lightning." Shirley couldn't handle it any more and fainted against the sodden ground. She looked more defeated than I had ever seen the girl.

"Well, well," said Melanie in amusement. "Looks like that was a bit too much for her."

"Oh, the poor thing's out cold."

"All that matters is that she's alive," said Vaclav shortly.

"Ahh, yes..." Vaclav started laughing again, his soldiers watching him apprehensively.

"Heh heh heh... Finally, the Merines is mine!" he said ecstatically. "The first phase of the operation is complete. We will commence phase two at once."

"Yes, sir!" said Melanie and Stingle at once. Suddenly the froze, as a new sound filled the area. A loud, slow clapping.

"Wonderful," I said loudly, letting my voice slip into something a little more dangerous. Everyone turned to face me at once, blades being drawn everywhere. "Ah apparently I'm not welcome here."  
"Who are you!" shouted Melanie.

"Someone who you don't need to shout at, Melanie the Crimson," I said lightly, remaining seated on my rock. I was still far enough away from the nearest soldiers that if I needed to I could escape. I looked at Vaclav who was watching me warily. He appeared to be trying to decide whether to question me or just outright order my death. I must be absolutely insane to be doing this. "Well met Vaclav Bolud, third prince of the Crusand Empire. I've been meaning to meet with you for a long time." There, that should sufficiently extend the time until someone tries to kill me. The only sign that Vaclav was surprised was the slight raising of his eyebrows.

"You're well informed," he said, raising a hand. At this his soldiers stood down. "Who are you?"

"I go by Shayne," I said. Maybe he would think it was a fake name. I honestly don't have the patience or the memory to deal with them. "I'm someone who has interests that match up with some of your own."  
"Oh?" he said, sounding genuinely interested. He probably didn't often encounter people who were willing to talk to him like I was either. Most were probably too scared shitless. I know I was.

"Yes I too am interested in the hidden power locked away on this ship," I said, watching his eyes grow wide. Clearly he wasn't expecting me to know such a thing. He frowned and took a few steps closer to me.

"And how would you know about that?" he said, voice becoming dangerous.

"Think of me as someone highly interested in," I pointed at Shirley, "_her_ kind." Vaclav's eyes darted to Shirley before locking back on mine. "I find them fascinating, but more than that, I truly wish to see the glory of this ancient ship reawakened."

"And if I were to tell you that I aim to kill thousands upon thousands of people with that glory?" Vaclav asked, an evil smile playing onto his face. I just slid into my own chaotic persona even more.

"Weapons aren't brought out just to be admired, Commander Vaclav," I said holding up a hand before making a tight fist. "They are meant to be used." I sighed slightly. "I told you I just want to see an age past brought back to life. To that end I would like to help you. I'm sure I can be of a great amount of use to you."

"And why should I let you work with me?" he asked.

"Why not? You should use every tool you can get, don't you think?" I replied. "You haven't even seen what I know, and I know quite a bit."

"I'll think about it," said Vaclav after a minute, much to the surprise of his subordinates, no less myself.

"I can't come with you now though, I still have an obligation I need to fulfill," I said quickly. "Don't worry though, I'll meet with you in due time. Certainly before you reach the Ruins of Frozen Light." Vaclav just barked out a laugh.

"I should kill you where you sit for your arrogance," he said, a predatory grin on his face, "but I like your steel. Cashel stand down," he said. As I had expected the moment I lost sight of Cashel, he had been poised to kill me at any moment. The aptly named Phantom moved out from behind me and returned to his Commander's side.

"Well played, Shayne," he said. "Perhaps I'll get to kill you the next time we meet."

"I truly hope not," I said flatly to who I felt was the most dangerous of the three terrors. Melanie was a bit battle hungry true, and Stingle was harmless overall, so long as he wasn't forced into some kind of action. Cashel however was psychotic and a killer. The soldiers retreated down the path in groups. Vaclav himself picked up Shirley and casually slung her over his shoulder like she were a rag doll. I kept my face impassive. I could show absolutely no compassion for either of the girls while I was within the enemies' ranks. That would ruin everything. To keep them safe I would need to be as close as humanly possible, biding my time until I could act. And if that meant that I had to sit through Shirley's rough treatment, through Stella's incarceration; if that meant that I would literally be the one who was pushing that button to fire the Nerifes Cannon on the bridge, then so be it.

As the last flash of red armor vanished from view I started counting. Once I hit one thousand I slid off the rock to the ground shivering, and not from the cold. That was too close to death. Far too close. And I would have to get even closer to complete my objective. It was absolutely terrifying. I couldn't help but wish I had someone there to rub the back of my head and tell me everything was going to be alright. Instead, I sat there with my eyes closed, contemplating my next move and mastering my emotions while I waited for Will and the rest of the group. The more control I had, the more convincing my farce would be. And the better my farce, the greater the likelihood that we would all make it out of this alive in the end. I just hoped that the group could forgive me for what I was going to put them through.

* * *

**A/N:** Hooray another chapter out! Finally got into Shayne's plan. As you can see sticking with the party would be the most fun, and give him a shot, but not a good one. It's time to find out what the baddies are like. Best part is I have free rein with their pasts as they never got them in the game.

I hope I did an alright job at making the Secret Passage dungeon into something a bit more realistically sized and lit. And also I'm sorry if you were hoping for a super battle from the LLD but seriously I just can't see things surviving a sword wound of any significant damage and really, _all_ of Chloe's attacks should be doing that level damage. I mean I purposely avoided her just cutting the damn thing in half with a shining gale simply b/c it would have been too easy.

Anyway, look forward to the next chapter as we start go get more into the meat of the conflict!


	10. Of Knights and Water

"Shayne!"

"Shay!"

I opened my eyes feeling slightly weary. The rain had stopped at some point, though I couldn't remember exactly when. Two girls were running at me, one in blue and black and the other in shocking yellow.

"Hey girls," I said, with a small wave. I was still leaning against the same rock from earlier, my pants completely soaked through from the wet ground. Chloe quickly knelt beside me and checked me over.

"You're not hurt are you? Will, can you cast First Aid on Shayne?" she asked as he drew level with them.

"Of course, are you injured?" he asked, eyes scanning my body for wounds.

"I'm fine, seriously," I said, pushing myself to my feet. "I just had a close encounter while it was still raining."

"Did you see where Senny and Shirl went?" asked Norma. She looked around briefly as If she would spot them.

"Yeah I followed them because I was afraid they would get into trouble," I said, sitting back against the rock.

"And?"

"Soldiers in red," I said darkly, shaking my head. Their eyes all widened in surprise.

"Are you serious?" asked Chloe. "But how could they have found where we were? We were in an underground passageway for a long time."

"I don't know but they knew exactly where Senel and Shirley were," I continued. "You were right Will, that group wanted Shirley. They captured her right away. I would have tried to help but there were dozens of them just in the clearing ahead, not counting whatever they had out of sight." Will just let out a rough breath.

"And Senel?"

"He was beaten and thrown off the cliff." Chloe and Norma gasped.

"You can't be serious!" they chorused, running over to the edge and looking over. About fifty feet down their view was obscured by cloudy fog.

"I'm sure he survived," I said with a shrug. "Senel won't ever let himself die until Shirley is safe."

"I still can't believe he could be so irresponsible," said Will, motioning for them to continue down the path. "If he had stayed with the group like I said he should then this never would have happened."

"I don't know about that, Will," I said, looking back at the girls who were quietly discussing how Senel could have survived. "They were lying in wait for her. It wouldn't have mattered how many of us there were. We never would have survived. Plus," I looked at the cloudy sky. "From what I've gathered about both of them, Senel has been looking after his sister for a really long time, keeping her safe. It's clear they've been on the run before. It must have been hard enough to trust us to begin with with everyone gunning for Shirley."

"I can understand that, but is still doesn't make what he did any less stupid," said Will flatly, at which I just grinned.

"No, it definitely doesn't. Aren't you happy you've gotten past being a teenager?"

"Without a doubt."

"So what's the plan for when we get back? I'm still planning on going after Shirley," I said resolutely.

"Indeed, we cannot give up on her," said Chloe at once.

"Well, even if she _hadn't_ been captured, this group of soldiers in red is now a serious problem," said Will with a frown. "We'll need to find out everything we can about them, though going about that..." his voice died off as he started thinking. Noticing that we were all waiting for him to finish his thought he just shook his head. "It's not critical until we get back. For now let's stay alert and get back to town. I'd rather not have a group of lizardmen be our downfall while we were thinking about our next move."

XxxxX

Werites Beacon was as cheerful as ever, even in the late evening. People bustled about on their usual business, doing some late shopping, taking a stroll, or heading down to the club located under the inn. There was really a sense of peace within the town's walls.

"Alright, I'm exhausted," droned Norma, immediately heading for the inn. "And I _really _want a bath. I'll see you three around..." We watched as Norma dragged herself up the steps and through the door.

"A teenage girl if I've ever seen one," said Will with a sigh. "Chloe, we have a lot to do but that can wait until tomorrow when we are all rested up. Do you have a place to stay?"

"Why don't we give her the room I was staying in for now and I'll take the couch downstairs?" I suggested.

"There's really no need, I can stay at the inn as well," said Chloe, but I was already leading her off to Will's with an arm around her shoulder.

"Chloe, shut up and say thank you."

"Ah- thank you," she said. Will just chuckled and followed us at a leisurely pace.

XxxxX

"Back already? I thought you guys just- oh." I came up short as I saw Chloe walk into the main room with a scowl on her face. She was quickly followed by Senel who actually had the shadow of a hand print on his face. Damn that must have been a hard hit, and Chloe didn't exactly have weak arms, considering she handled her heavy longsword like it was made of cotton. Will brought up the rear, rolling his eyes at me, at which I smirked. To think the poor guy had to deal with this alone for an entire game...

"Glad to see you're alright, Senel," I said, placing lunch in front of him. I had been in Will's kitchen making the him, Chloe, and myself some food. Norma was still nowhere to be found. Maybe she lost herself in the bath. "I didn't think you died, but honestly I've never seen someone get tossed off a cliff before like you did so-"

"You were there?" he said in surprise.

"Caught the end of it," I said with a shrug. "Shirley was already too heavily guarded for me to get to, I'm sorry."

"You still should have tried!" he said angrily.

"And let himself be killed? You have no right to be mad at him!" said Chloe sharply, defending me. "You ran off from the safety of the group with Shirley and got her kidnapped even worse than she had been earlier."

"Enough Chloe," said Will sternly, taking a seat beside her. I took a seat on Senel's far side. "What's done is done. Now, Senel, tell us what happened after you left us behind." Senel stared at his food for a second before speaking in a blank tone.

"We got a good ways before we were ambushed by those same soldiers in red as from the Bandit's Lair," he said shortly. "They had us outnumbered twenty to one at least, and you know Shirley can't fight. I got beaten and then Vaclav showed up. Shirley offered herself up to save me but they tossed me off the cliff as her "reward" for trying to bargain with them." Will let out a long breath.

"You're _certain_ you encountered Vaclav?" he asked.

"Absolutely. His soldiers called him by name."

"I figured as much, but I had to be sure," he muttered. To Senel he said, "Shayne also named Vaclav from what he overheard but he wasn't as close as you were and it was raining as well. I needed to be sure. This means that Vaclav was also behind the attack on the Bandit's Lair. I should have realized it when I saw all those red soldiers..."

"Many of those soldiers are part of a special force that carries out secret operations," said Senel, crossing his arms. "I'm not surprised you didn't recognize them."

"Well, I'm surprised you did," said Will shortly, giving Senel a hard stare.

"They've... been after us before," he explained after a moment, looking at the table.

"I know this is serious stuff here, but clue me in a bit," I interjected before they could keep going. "Who's this Vaclav guy?" Will stood up and began pacing slightly, lecture mode engaged.

"Sorry I keep forgetting you don't know much. Ehem. Vaclav Bolud. third prince of the Crusand Empire, a militaristic country in the southern part of the mainland. Over the past few years, Crusand has been steadily increasing its power by going to war with other nations." He paused and looked back at me. "It seems Vaclav has been leading an independent division of troops from battlefield to battlefield across the land. Or at least that's what he was last seen doing." Chloe nodded.

"Vaclav's confidants are his three executive officers, otherwise known as the Terrors," she said.

"Right," continued Will. "Melanie the Crimson specializes in fire eres, just as her name implies. Cashel the Phantom is famous for his deceptive illusions in battle and ruthlessness. Stingle the Vicious is a master of the sword. People say that he wears a mask at all times. While Melanie and Cashel are veterans, I've heard that Stingle is a relative newcomer. Perhaps he has some reason for choosing to hide his identity."

"Damn you, Vaclav!" said Chloe suddenly, jumping to her feet and making myself and Senel start. "What are you scheming? Why did you abandon the front line and come to the Legacy?"

"What's the matter, Chloe?" asked Senel in confusion. She made to answer but Will beat her to it.

"You can hardly blame her. The Holy Kingdom of Gadoria, her home country, is at war with Crusand at this very moment." At this it was Chloe's turn to look surprised.

"How did you know I'm from Gadoria? I never told you that." Will just smiled.

"The Valens are a famous family of knights in Gadoria. I've at least heard of them."

"I see..." Chloe looked pensive. "So the Valens name is known far and wide..."

"So," I said, drawing everyone's attention. "What do we do?"

"We can't just sit here while Vaclav runs free on the Legacy!" said Chloe at once.

"Yes. We cannot let this go, even if it means taking on an entire country's army," agreed Will.

"Agreed," I said. Chloe just looked at me.

"Shayne you don't have to involve yourself in this," she said. "It's between my country and his. Plus for all you know, you might be from Crusand yourself."

"True, but you're my friend and I help out my friends," I said simply. Her face split into a smile and she quickly turned to Will.

"Alright then. First, we need information. We have to discover Vaclav's whereabouts and motives."

"I'm well ahead of you," said Will with a grin. "I've contacted Jay the Unseen." This made Chloe blink in surprise.

"Jay? The Jay? He's famous for having more information than anyone on the Legacy..." Will nodded.

"We should be receiving an answer soon. I was going to go check it when we were done eating. Would you accompany me?"

"Of course!"

"Shayne?"

"Just let me grab my tonfas." I dashed out of the room as Senel also voiced his desire to come. One minute later I returned to find Senel alone looking like he'd just been put through the wringer. Not wanting to make the situation any worse I walked outside and caught up to Will and Chloe. Senel would be fine after a little pep talk from Norma. In any case I could count on the scheming little girl who had yet to make herself known to the main portion of the group to keep everyone together. In the mean time it was just us. We headed straight to the fountain plaza, as that was where the responses to requests for information showed up. I let Will and Chloe handle it while I stayed at the entrance, keeping an eye out for Senel and Norma. It seemed like they would still be a while.

"So what's the deal?" I asked as they rejoined me.

"The message said to head to Port-on-Rage," said Will. "That's the nearby port that I've mentioned to you a while ago. Let's go."

The trip was about as eventful as the first one I took out of Werites Beacon. Dotted with lizardmen who really didn't know what they were getting themselves into. The road to the port was even more well maintained than the one to the Misty Mountains, though that was surely because of how frequently people used this path. The seeming autonomy of the Legacy was pretty apparent. I couldn't imagine that if any country had public control of this area that they wouldn't at least have guards along the road to keep travelers safe.

The port was much bigger than it was depicted in the game, but then again, what wasn't? It was still pretty much set up in the same way however. There were a number of buildings that were grouped together on the land, tightly fenced in by a protective wall, dotted with some homes and businesses. There were also ship repair places and a number of taverns. When we hit the water the dock stretched out just like in the game. There was an upper level to the left where one or potentially two large ships could dock at at a time, and a lower level where a great number of smaller motorboats were. It was along the lower level of the dock we now walked.

"Is this really the right place?" said Chloe, looking around at the mass of boats and people skeptically. I could see her point. How the hell were we supposed to know what to do now? Remembering about the other half of the group, I looked at the upper level, eyes scanning quickly. Almost at once I saw a white haired head and a brown haired banana duck out of sight behind the railing. They must have really legged it to catch up so quick.

"The message we found at the fountain plaza definitely said Port-on-Rage," said Will, looking around.

"But what do we do next?"

"Heads up you two," I said, noticing a purple outfit with stars on it. "Someone's coming."

"Um...excuse me..." said the boy. He looked at me and blinked. It was the only indication that he had been surprised.

"Hey again," I said.

"You know him?" said Will.

"Just in passing," I said with a shrug. "Saw him once while working at the Armory."

"It's nice to see you again too," said Jay, eying me carefully for a second before returning his gaze to Will and Chloe. "I work on the docks. I have a letter for you..." He handed over the folded paper to Will who quickly opened it.

"What does it say?" asked Chloe, moving in to read it.

"Go to the lake that lies beyond Raging Bay. That's it."

"That's on the opposite side of the Bay," said Chloe. "It'll take us quite a while to go all the way around, so we should get a move on." Will however wasn't done with Jay. He looked to the boy who had delivered the letter and waived it questioningly. Jay understood at once.

"I was performing some maintenance on a boat when I suddenly noticed a letter and some money sitting beside me. There were also instructions written on it to hand the letter to a small group walking nearby," he explained.

"How did you know it was us?" asked Chloe.

"I've been working here for a while," Jay explained. "Quite frankly you're the only ones on the whole dock, let alone near my boat, who look out of place. Well maybe not you," he added, motioning to Will's muscles. "Are you not the right group?"

"No, no, we are," said Will quickly. "This letter is for us."

"Ah, great. Well then, good day." Jay turned away and made to return to his boat.

"Hold on a second," continued Will. Although I couldn't see Jay's face I knew he had a small smile on his face. The smile of a plan working out to perfection. "You said you were performing maintenance on a small boat... Is it yours?" Jay turned around, looking confused.

"Well yes, but-"

"Could you take us to the other side of Raging Bay in that boat?" said Will at once. "We could pay you."

"In the boat?" said Chloe in alarm. "Will I don't think-"

"I don't see the harm in it," said Jay with a shrug, making Chloe go a bit pale. "I need to put the boat through her paces anyway to see if what I've done is enough anyway. A trip to the other side of Raging Bay would be perfect."

"Excellent," said Will at once. "Lead the way. Let's go you two." I felt guilty somewhat pulling Chloe along when she was looking so apprehensive, but there was really nothing for it. As soon as we stepped onto the boat, Chloe made for the cabin in the middle, taking the stairs below deck. I had never been on a boat built like this before. It honestly felt more like a miniature pirate ship without masts and sails. Big flat deck, two levels, wheel at the front? Eh maybe not a pirate ship. Jay revved the motor before easing us away from the dock with the skill of a practiced sailor. Sure he may have been lying through his teeth about working on the dock but he certainly had a lot of skills.

"Will, I'll be with Chloe below," I said, walking into the cabin. "Shout if anything happens." I found Chloe through the door straight ahead. There were a few other cargo rooms but it looked like this one was made for people to sleep in. It was small. A bed against one wall and a desk against the other. There was also a single bookshelf, built so that things couldn't just slide off of it if things got shaky.

"Hey, you alright?" I asked. "It's a really great day to be out on the water you know, why don't you come outside and enjoy the air?" It was the second time in a day or so that I had seen Chloe shaken about something. Of course, the first time had been completely unexpected. She had always remained steadfast in the game and I hadn't anticipated her being a bit squeamish. In her defense, she had just cut a dinoworm lengthwise. God just the thought... However, this time I knew what was going on.

"I'm perfectly fine, thank you Shayne," said Chloe shortly, nodding at me stiffly, though not looking up from my feet. "I just feel like resting a bit. You can go back on deck." I just crossed my arms and waited for her to finally get tired of staring at my feet, though it took about ten minutes. She finally looked up to my face and saw the expression I was giving her. "What," she said accusingly. I made to reply when the boat hit a semi big wave and rocked suddenly causing Chloe to close her eyes, hands on her knees. The boat recovered after a while though not after a long series of rocks from side to side.

"You're still here aren't you?" she said after a second.

"Sure am."

"Don't you understand how frustrating it is for you to see my weaknesses?" she shot.

"Sure I do," I said gently. "But I'm not going to judge you for it." She opened her eyes and peered at me under her bangs. "You've got nothing to prove to me, Chloe. I like you as you come. Now," I walked over to her, "budge over cause I want to lay down. Nothing to do until we get there at any rate." Blinking, she let me get onto the far side of the bed, while she sat with her back to me, facing the door, legs still off the side.

"What ever happened to enjoying the air?" she said suddenly.

"While I'll admit this is my first time ever sailing on a boat that's sailing on a boat, I've been on these types before. Plus, something tells me its going to get too exciting up top for my taste."

"On a boat on a boat," I heard her mutter, before giggling. "You're right I never thought about it that way."

"You said you're from Gadoria right?" I asked. "So what's it like?"

I helped take Chloe's mind off of her seasickness and nervousness at being surrounded by water by having her describe her home in wonderful detail. I know she had no love for her actual home and all she had to deal with there, but the country held a special place in the knight's heart. She was half way describing the marketplaces of Baltoga when the sound of the motor suddenly cut off.

"Chloe, Shayne, come on up." Will was calling for us down the hall.

"Are we there already?" I wondered aloud.

"I can only hope so," said Chloe. We emerged to a female voice that was only too familiar.

"Fancy meeting you here!" said Norma, standing at the side of the boat beside their own. Senel was next to her, arms crossed. Will just rolled his eyes.

"Oh, please. You couldn't be any more obvious Norma."

"I thought we told you not to come with us," said Chloe coldly to Senel. "You've already proved you can't handle the responsibilities that come with being on a team." Ouch, Chloe was really laying into him. Senel made to argue back but was cut off by the light quip of Jay.

"Nice to see you again, Alliance marine." Senel blinked in surprise as Jay seemed to materialize out of nothing beside us, causing us all to start slightly. He really could be silent when he needed to be. Immediately Senel narrowed his eyes warily.

"What are you up to this time?" he said. Jay just grinned while Will moved his eyes between the two.

"You two know each other?"

"Thanks to him, I wound up having to fight the Bouncers," he said in annoyance. "Not to mention I ended up in a jail cell. Will, be careful. He's probably working on some scheme right now." Now it was clear that Senel had screwed up in the groups eyes earlier, but that obviously didn't discount everything between them. Will looked over at Jay with a frown.

"Just who are you exactly anyway?" he asked. Jay just shook his head slightly, still appearing to enjoy himself.

"Say, Alliance marines are pretty good with boats, right?" he said suddenly, his voice betraying a hint of aggressiveness. There was a taunt there, and Senel ate it up easily.

"And what if they are?"

"Well..." said Jay, tilting his head to the side. "I'm not half bad, myself. You see, I get anxious when another person and I are good at the same things. I always feel I simply must find out which one is truly better. Don't you?" He suddenly dashed to the helm. "Think you can keep up?" He floored the boat, causing it to lurch forwards. I managed to catch Chloe from falling over, but there was no one to catch me so we went down in a heap anyway.

"What the hell are you doing!" shouted Will, regaining his balance and moving to confront Jay.

"Relax it's fun," said Jay cheerfully, as if he weren't slicing through the lake at a terrifying speed. Whatever upgrades he had done on the boat were clearly working well. Chloe whimpered slightly as a swell caused the boat to drop suddenly, sending us down again, sliding to the rear of the boat.

"Shayne stop him!"

"How am I supposed to do that when you're squeezing me so much?!"

"I don't care, just do it!"

"He's doing pretty well with that boat," came Jay's cheery voice. "That's an Alliance marine for you!"

"Don't drag us into your stupid games!" shot Will, angry mode up. "Stop this at once!"

"What happened to the woman who was with you?" asked Jay, glancing over at him. Will looked back at myself and Chloe who was for all intensive purposes stuck somewhere between a coma and panic attack. I managed to give Will a thumbs up before Chloe's inhuman grip claimed my final free limb. Will just put a hand to his forehead.

"Chloe... isn't feeling well."

"But this feels so good! What a shame." You could almost see the tick mark on Wills forehead.

"I told you to stop this!" Jay looked behind him and saw Senel's boat catching up swiftly.

"We're about to speed up. You'd better hold on tight!" Ah dammit.

Xxx

"I'm never getting on a boat _ever again._"

Chloe was sitting on a rock as far away from the boat as she possibly could be. It was as if the thing had done her some sort of personal injustice. I couldn't help but chuckle a bit though I swallowed it quickly as she shot me a sharp glare. Meanwhile, Will was giving Jay a very stern talking to.

"So you'll admit that this is a bit more than just a coincidence?" he said flatly, muscular arms crossed over his chest. It always got to me how oblivious Will and Chloe were about Jay in the game. Clearly not the case here.

"Yes you're right to think I've got a bit more to do with your objective, however until we reach your destination you'll just have to trust me," said Jay with a shrug.

"Very well..." replied Will after a second. He uncrossed his arms and lifted his hammer to his shoulder. "Let's move then, time is of the essence." Will looked to the sky. It was still mid afternoon so the sun was high above us.

"Indeed it always is," said Jay.

Chloe and I took point as we moved through the crags. Jay was behind us a bit and Will brought up the rear. The rocky pathways that were fully above water were fairly narrow, though fortunately dry. The monsters in the area weren't that bad. It often became more about choosing the right path as opposed to mowing down baddies. Not that I really had to kill anything to begin with. A Raging Blast to pretty much anything sent it flying off the path and into the cold water below. That and Chloe's sword were all we needed.

"You're getting better, you know," said Chloe to me as we began to get closer to solid land. I was currently adjusting my belt and chewing on an apple gel, less because I needed it and more because the things were somewhat addictive.

"Ah, you think so?" Chloe put a finger to her chin in thought.

"Yes well, you don't really produce the same damage that say Coolidge or I could, but I don't think that kind of style really suits you to begin with," she explained. "You're more versatile, especially with weapons like that," she added, pointing to my tonfas. I pulled one out and spun it before handing it over. Chloe took it, eyes widening slightly. "These are _far_ heavier than they seem. I'm impressed."

"Yeah well you fighting is honestly like watching art," I said simply. "You're the best swords woman I've ever seen, even in movies. I don't really think I'll ever get as good as you are." Chloe flushed slightly at the praise.

"Movies?" she repeated. Inwardly I cursed. I was doing so damn well keeping myself and my world separate from theirs! Brain working rapidly to cover myself, I nearly missed what Chloe said next. "I've never seen one with sword fighting before." I quickly closed my mouth which I'm sure was gaping at that point.

"You've... seen a movie before?" I asked tentatively.

"Of course, in Baltoga," she said. "You won't find anything of the sort on the Legacy though unfortunately. The Legacy has always been behind the times in technology. Well, minus the fact that it's a giant boat."

"That's very true," said Will from behind us. Evidently he had been listening. "The people who live on the Legacy do so in a quaint way. I'll admit it was a little jarring at first when I arrived but I've since come to really embrace it."

"I see..." Well _that_ was news. From what I knew about the way that the different countries waged war it would seem that their military technologies were not so advanced, though with eres it was completely possible that the technology that _was_ developed was made to utilize it. Not to mention all the relics that had been unearthed from the Terises era. For a second there I was worried that there were things like missiles and guns in the world. But honestly who needed that when accomplished crystal erens could devastate an area with a simple spell. "You'll have to take me to Baltoga sometime, Chloe. It sounds like a great place."

"If we're still together when I decide to go back then I'd appreciate the company," she said with a small smile. She became quiet after this. I knew she was thinking about the man with the snake tattoo. After all, heading home wasn't an option for her until she'd gotten her revenge.

"Is that the lake ahead of us?" asked Will, squinting a bit.

"Yes, we're nearly there," said Jay. "Our objective is on the opposite bank."

"How are we to get there?" asked Chloe. "Walk the perimeter?"

"No there are rafts that are here for passage across the lake," explained Jay at which Chloe paled immediately. "Oh, is something wrong? One would almost think you're nervous."

"Of- of course not!" snapped Chloe, fists clenched. As we got within easy viewing distance of the rafts however, Chloe started to look less defiant. Apparently the lack of walls on the raft made this even worse than the other boat.

"Chloe there's no need to be afraid, I'm here," I said softly, as we got closer. I couldn't help but wonder if the reason that the game developers didn't include this scene was simply because it would have been a little too troublesome to deal with Chloe and keep her in character at the same time.

"So close to the water," she muttered, eyes locked on the edges of the raft. There wasn't a lot of space on it, though it would fit the four of them fine.

"It'll be nothing like before," I continued soothingly. "There's no waves here. It'll be like gliding along a piece of ice. And you can sit right in the middle next to me, alright?"

"O-okay."

The dock was small but clearly well maintained. The wood didn't even creak as we stepped onto it. I immediately stepped down onto the right raft of the two that were tied up. Biting her lip, Chloe followed me and went right to the middle of the thing, sitting next to the single small sail that protruded from the center of the raft. I took a seat on her other side, fencing her in between myself and the mast. Once Will and Jay got on after us we were off, the nice wind filling the sail and taking us across the lake, Jay occasionally adjusting our course with the oar that was there to use as a rudder. I looked behind us at the remaining raft. Senel and the others would be taking it fairly soon, catching up with us in no time at all. Considering that we cleared out much of the enemies that were lazing about on the paths in the crags they would certainly have a much easier time of it. I wouldn't even have been surprised if we were both in the crags at the same time.

"This is actually pretty nice," came a low voice in my ear. I turned to see Chloe gazing out over the smooth surface of the lake, a small smile on her face. Will was actually laying on his side at the head of the raft, relaxing. We had just passed the oddly shaped landmass in the center of the lake. I was not looking forward to the day I would be revisiting it, and unfortunately that do or die moment wasn't exactly far away.

"It is isn't it?" I said, leaning back on my hands. "I really like water. It's got a certain enchanting quality to it. Bit bizarre how much I like water actually, considering I can't swim."

"You can't swim?" said Chloe in shock. Will rolled over so that he was looking at us.

"I wouldn't have guessed," said Will, also surprised.

"Yeah it sucks, but what can ya do?" I said with a shrug.

"The water doesn't scare you?" asked Chloe, still somewhat disbelieving.

"Only when I'm in it and can't touch the bottom," I said. "That's terrifying. But being in water isn't bad. Being _on_ water is something I really enjoy actually."

"You're quite weird," said Jay with a smirk. I turned to look at the boy.

"I don't need to hear that coming from a guy like you," I said flatly. Jay laughed.

"Point taken. We're about to dock."

"Good, I'm ready to get this thing moving," said Will, frowning. Chloe also nodded, eager to continue their personal mission. I could just make out a cave at the end of the path ahead. No doubt that was the entrance to the village. Glancing over at my companions I couldn't help but give a small shake of my head.

Seriously they had no idea what they were in for.

* * *

A/N: If you're wondering why I've updated this and nothing else then just know that at this point in my life my computer pretty much was destroyed and I lost all but my notes for this fic. So I had this and really needed to get _something_ out. Working hard on everything else. Recovery sucks awful.

Anyway, the real quest is about to begin! I know it's always great for authors to get reviews and such (so don't hesitate to leave one if you'd like) though this fic is really just for enjoyment. Just enjoy it.


	11. A Night in the Village

"Woah! There's little furry round guys _everywhere!_"

Ah, Norma, it's times like this that I can always count on you to diffuse a potentially highly strung group of people who are all being thrown for a loop. Or at least, _ I _appreciated her airheadedness. Of course, she was the most typical of the females in the game, and did have a soft spot for fuzzy otters. Really though, who was I kidding we all had a soft spot for those guys. Actually seeing so many of them surrounding me in multicolored shirts and accessories that all resembled scallops in some way or another was making me a little too grinny myself. Really you just had to be there.

Of course my state of mind was easily the most locked down. Will and Harriet, the little girl hiding behind Senel, were both staring at each other. Will in utter shock, Harriet with extreme wariness. Norma was getting otter overload but otherwise seemed fine. Senel had his eyes moving from Harriet to Will to Chloe, who was looking daggers at him, to Jay and then back to Harriet. Finally, Jay was looking thoroughly put out that he was no longer the center of attention and his ultimate surprise had fizzled out quite spectacularly. Nothing like leading a small group of people across a bay, through the crags, then a lake, only to be greeted with a reaction along the lines of, "Hey, it's a bunch of Oresoren."

"Hey! Alliance Marine!" Jay took a step forward, eying Senel threateningly. "What are you doing with Poppo?"

"What do you mean what am I doing with him?" snapped Senel, relieved to have a target for his attention outside of the awkward mess he was in the middle of. "Does it look like I'm doing anything with him?"

"Hi, guys!" said Poppo cheerfully, at which the other Oresoren greeted him similarly. What a cheery bunch.

"Poppo! You're back," came a voice from closer to the cave entrance. We all turned to see Pippo and Quppo coming over to join us. "Oh, hello everyone!" he continued, when he noticed that we were there as well. "Did you come to visit our village?"

"Yo, it's good to see you again," said Quppo.

"Hi Pippo, Quppo," I said with a wave.

"Wait you actually know them?" said Jay to his friends, further confused. They nodded. "I see..." He turned to us all. "I'd appreciate an explanation but why don't we go somewhere more comfortable. My home is further in."

"That sounds good," I said, weaving around the milling Oresoren who were now chatting with the Scallop Brothers. "Plus, I've been wondering how the famous Jay the Unseen lived." I let my last words die down to a low mutter, only loud enough for Jay himself to hear them. He looked at me in a calculating way and I knew that I had somehow unnerved him. More than likely it was because no one had ever guessed who he was before. Usually people would probably dismiss the notion simply because of his age. He was seven years my minor after all. Just old enough to get his learner's permit back in New York. Though I doubt he'd be able to see over the steering wheel of any car.

Inwardly however I cursed at myself. I was becoming arrogant, I could tell. There was something about knowing so much about everyone and everything that was intoxicating in a way. Omnipotence was certainly corrupting and fun to boot. I had an immense amount of power in this world, through what I knew. If I felt like letting everything going to shit I could easily go to Vaclav and let him know that the Holy Sovereign of Rexalia was chilling in Musette's house. He'd likely jump at the opportunity to destroy another country. Or I could just head off to the Ferines and tell them all the ways that humanity could potentially stop them from destroying all land in the world, effectively reducing the chance of it being stopped to practically nothing. I could tell Chloe where the swordsman with the snake tattoo was and she would go haring off. I could go claim the Everlight for myself... one free wish certainly wouldn't go unappreciated in my book.

I was brought out of my thoughts by Harriet dashing by me into the cave, closely followed by Poppo. I grimaced at the awkward conversation I was going to be witnessing with the others in a few minutes. It was frustrating having to sit back so much, policing myself at all times to make sure I didn't do anything that would be to damaging to the flow of the game.

_Not a game,_ I said to myself. _This is not a game. This is real. To all of them and even to me, this is as real as it gets. Lyra..._

"Shayne?" Chloe was looking at me in concern. I suppose I had been spacing out a little too much.

"What's up? Everything alright?" I asked, looking at the young knight. She shook her head.

"I'm the one who should be asking that," she replied. "You looked quite distant. Is something on your mind?" I wondered what to tell her, or if I should say anything at all.

"Lately I've been feeling like something has been on the tip of my mind, but I've got no idea what it could be." Chloe watched me curiously. I had to point out the steps so that she wouldn't fall down them. "Sometime... I wonder exactly how important the things I've forgotten are. There is weight in knowing something, but at the same time just as much in not knowing. How do I know which is better?"

"Are you afraid of what you might remember if your memory comes back?" asked the girl. She looked pensive, considering what could be better forgotten than known. She grimaced. Of course there were things that she wished she could forget for the rest of her life but never would. I shook my head.

"No, actually I'm more worried about how you all might react," I said honestly. That was really the crux of my issues. When my 'memories' came back, in other words when the truth of my purpose was revealed, would they be able to forgive me? Would _Shirley_ be able to forgive me?

"You're not a bad person, Shayne," said Chloe resolutely. I couldn't help but smile at her words. Unable to give her head a rub like I wanted to because of her hat I settled for rubbing her back a bit.

"Same to you, Chloe. Thanks." Chloe ducked her head a bit, embarrassed, and fell back to walk next to Norma.

"Oh ho, there appears to have been an unexpected development on the boat while I was gone..." I caught the teasing teen say to Chloe who began protesting at once. Not eager to be near that conversation I moved up, ears a bit red at the thought.

It didn't take us too long to enter the main cavernous area that the village was situated in. There were a number of levels to it, the higher ones in the back where the residences resided, while the lower ones met with small docks and large pools of water. I could see a number of types of shops near the back in the more industrial section of the village. We all slowly came to a halt outside the small one room Inn that Harriet and Poppo were unsuccessfully hiding in. The Oresoren innkeeper was watching them in amusement. Jay and the other Oresoren were waiting for us by the stairs that led into the center of the village, though not so far away that they would be out of earshot.

"What's with the scary face, Teach?" asked Norma, eyebrows raised at the older man. I had to heavily resist burying my face in my hands. Norma could be incredibly blunt at the most untimely moments.

"There's nothing scary about it," came the expected reply, though not with the usual head knock. Instead he continued to stare

"Raynard, who is that young lady?" asked Chloe after a second. Will seemed to be battling with himself for a moment before responding.

"That's... my daughter."

"Oh your daughter," said Chloe with an understanding nod.

"Of course," said Senel. They looked at each other for a moment before turning to Will sharply.

"Your _daughter!?_"

"That's a little over the top, you guys..." said Norma.

"As much as I might wish otherwise, it's true." Harriet walked out from her hiding place and planted herself in the middle of the road. "I took my mom's last name, not his."

"So then how old are you?" asked Norma, curious.

"Nine," said Harriet. Will cleared his throat a bit.

"Harriet was born when I was nineteen," he said, still looking down at the girl who was determinedly avoiding his eyes.

"What!?" This time it was all three of them.

"Teach, you're only twenty-eight?" said Norma in shock. Chloe turned to her exasperated.

"_That's_ what you're surprised about?" she said nonplussed.

"Well, I mean, I thought he was more of an old man, you know? But now he actually_ is_ someone's old man! I mean...seriously? You're really her old man?" I closed my eyes in resignation as Norma received a whack over the head for her Norma-ness. Not wanting to really keep watching I walked over to Jay.

"Enjoying yourself?" I asked him.

"Probably about as much as you are," he said, looking from me to the tense father-daughter conversation. "I was wondering-"

"How I knew who you are?" I posed.

"And for how long," he added, arms crossed.

"Ah, well you were pretty suspicious to me on the docks," I said. "I mean it's difficult to have such updated information on someone you're targeting without being close by and on the road it was just us. Once we got to the docks it was a little too convenient. I'm sure Will and Chloe thought so too but it was a calculated risk and we can take care of ourselves. Plus, we're dealing with Jay the Unseen so who knew what to expect."

"Understandable," said Jay.

"But there was something else that made me think it was you," I added. Jay looked at me curiously. "Nothing from now. All that's happened really could lead us to think that you work for the real Jay, which is what the others likely think. But that day I sold you the dagger, as soon as you left and I turned my head you were gone. I mean long gone. Unseen really is an apt moniker." Jay laughed lightly.

"My you are quite sharp," he said, hands in his pockets. I wondered if one of them was fingering the dagger. "Clearly you didn't lose your wit. How goes the memory recovery?"

"Sometimes I think I'm getting things but pretty much nothing," I said easily. "Mainly it's just feelings about stuff. Like I miss something or whatever."

"Well I hope that you don't regret remembering your past. There is no person without some darkness in their past," he added.

"Very true," I agreed. "You have to be-"

"I HATE YOU!" Harriet's furious voice echoed in the surrounding area as she tore away from Will and ran past me and Jay, heading into the village.

"Poppo, if you would," said Jay quickly. Poppo quickly took off after the girl.

"Harriet!" shouted Senel, taking a few steps in my direction. "Will you have to go after her!"

"That's not my place," said a dejected Will. "After all I've done... and all I haven't."

"Let's talk at our home," said Pippo, ever the bright and slightly less than average intelligent otter. Of course I knew he was just trying to be kind.

"It's in the back of the village," added Quppo. "You can't miss it. We'll wait for you there, alright?" He and Pippo walked off.

"Just follow the main road to the upper level and go to the house in the far back," Jay said to me. "We'll get to business there." I nodded.

"Right, just give us a bit. We'll be there soon." Jay nodded and made to catch up with his friends. "Guys..." I jerked my head down the steps. Fortunately the three kids got by message and walked ahead, leaving me with Will.

"You must think pretty badly of me," he said after a minute. I smirked slightly and punched him not so softly on his shoulder. Of course this was Will we were talking about so while Norma would have been _really_ angry, complaining, and sporting a big bruise, Will just blinked at me in surprise.

"Like hell I do you idiot," I said wryly. "You think I know anything about your situation? Plus I think I know _you_ well enough to not judge you on things I hear or see once. Now let's got before the kids get themselves in trouble without us there to stop them." Will grinned and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Right, thanks Shayne."

xxx

"I had a feeling you might be Jay but I appreciate the confirmation," said Will dryly, not particularly happy that they had been played.

"I hope you can forgive me, it's not often I reveal my identity to others so I like to do it with a bit of fun," he said with a shrug.

We were all sitting in a large circle on the very adorable rug of an Oresoren smiley face that took up the majority of the circular main room of the Scallop's home. The circumference of the room was mainly filled with bookshelves and work tables, as well as two bunk beds and the only staircase that must lead to Jay's room upstairs. Interestingly enough there was no bathroom or kitchen. When I asked Jay about this he explained first that the bathroom was located around the back of the house, and second that as a village the Oresoren didn't endeavor to build kitchens in every home and instead built one large cafeteria like building where everyone ate all their meals. It saved them a lot of time and resources, and also allowed those who loved cooking to make it their profession. The dining area was open all the time as well with a rotating staff. As the Oresoren were craftsmen at heart, building things everywhere, they often ate with their workmates before heading off to their daily activities. The Scallops had kindly brought us all dinner from the dining area to eat in their home while we talked.

"Anyway, according to the request I received, you wanted to know Vaclav's whereabouts and objectives, correct?"

"Tell me if Shirley's alright," said Senel at once. Jay just regarded him blankly.

"That wasn't part of the original request..." he said dryly.

"Keep quiet, Coolidge," snapped Chloe. They had been arguing on and off all the way to the house and tension between the two was at an all time high.

"Then stop trying to rush things along without me!" he shot back angrily.

"Both of you enough!" said Will loudly, as Chloe opened her mouth to retort. They settled for glaring at each other while Norma held back a laugh.

"Normally I only provide one piece of information at a time," said Jay slowly, "but I'll allow an exception this time because you helped out these three." He reached to his side and grabbed a large map of the Legacy, spreading it out before us before putting a small red stone on a particular point. "Vaclav's main force is currently camped in this area. For reference, in case you are having trouble reading this map, we are here," he added, placing a black stone.

"Decently close then," I mused. "At least it's not like he's on the other side of the ship."

"Is Shirley with him?"

"If Shirley is the name of the girl he recently captured then no," said Jay, shaking his head. He placed another stone in another spot, not exactly between the other two, but certainly closer. "She is currently with this detachment of the force which is being led by the Terrors. They have been moving a lot to regroup with the main force but are currently camped for the night."

"Excellent then this is our chance to get her," said Senel, practically about to run off. I put a hand on his shoulder.

"Easy there, Senel," I said quickly. "We're talking about a large group of soldiers. There's only a couple of us. We're not about to run in there without a really damn good plan. Remember what I said when it was just you, me, and Will?" Senel made an annoyed face but settled back on the rug properly. Yeah, having him attack them alone would be fantastically game ending. "So what is the main force doing anyway?" I asked Jay. "Just hanging around?"

"Well, it would appear that they've entered the Ruins of Frozen Light."

"What?!" shouted Norma.

"You've heard of them, Norma?" asked Will, knowing that, despite appearances, Norma actually had a lot of useful information about the Legacy or anything else when it came to the Terises era.

"Well, they're famous among treasure hunters as some of the toughest ruins to crack!" she said in a hushed voice, as if trying to describe the mystery of the place merely with her voice.

"Indeed," agreed Jay. "The Ruins of Frozen Light have seals not only on the outside of the ruins but on the inside as well. With all the strong security, it's been rumored that some great secret of the Legacy rests inside."

"From what I've heard, no one's ever made it to the deepest part of the ruins," continued Norma. "I can't even imagine what it would take to get there. Or what's been hidden all these years." Jay cleared his throat, bring their attention back to him so he could deliver his point.

"With Shirley's power, Vaclav will surely uncover the secrets of the ruins," he said. "I'm almost certain that's what he's trying to do."

"So just what exactly is he trying to uncover?" asked Will. "What is so important that he would leave the fighting on the mainland to lead a special division of soldiers to obtain?" Jay frowned and rubbed his chin in thought.

"I would guess that this is connected to the war that the Crusand Empire is waging. The Crusand Empire is Vaclav's homeland, after all. Perhaps... Yes, I wouldn't be surprised if the ruins contained a weapon capable of turning the tide of a war. It seems most reasonable that Vaclav has obtained some kind of information about that place and what it holds. Why else would he be pouring so much resources into its exploration?"

"But what can we do!" said Chloe fiercely. Mention of the war had put her on edge again as it always did. "Vaclav has a large force at his disposal! Numbers of trained soldiers against those in this room? Nay, half that," she amended, looking around at us all.

"We don't need to fight an army," said Senel immediately. "It comes back to the same thing every time. Just get Shirley out of their hands and they're powerless."

"You would say that wouldn't you," snapped Chloe.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"When are you going to realize that this conflict is bigger than just you and your sister!" Senel blinked, completely taken aback by the fierceness of Chloe's voice. Scratch that, we all were. Not wanting this to get even more out of hand than it already was I quickly stood up and walked over to Chloe, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the door.

"Come on, we're going for a walk."

"Shayne, what are you doing, let me go! I'm not done with him," she said angrily, still glaring at Senel. No, she wasn't finished with him by a long shot.

"Nope, time for a walk with Shayne," I said blithely. "Will don't plan anything definitive without us. Be back soon." The rest of the group watched bemused as I pulled a still half sitting Chloe through the door, letting it close behind us.

Xxx

"Shayne, unhand me at once!" said Chloe, now thankfully on her feet as I don't think I'd be able to escape her ire if I dragged her across the cobblestone and dirt ground. It was not clean by any stretch of the word.

"You need to cool down a bit," I said, hand still unrelenting. I shifted my fingers to interlace with hers, making it much more comfortable.

"H-hey, what are you doing!" she said, face going a bit red.

"Never held hands with a boy before?" I teased with a grin. She only grew redder. At least she wasn't trying to escape anymore.

"No of course not," she said, looking away. "I never had time for something like that..." I glanced at her face and only saw bitterness.

"Let's leave this for a bit later, I need to talk to you about what just happened." Chloe looked at me in confusion. "With Senel." Confusion turned to anger immediately.

"Coolidge is a selfish boy who doesn't care about the consequences of his actions on others," said Chloe brutally. "It's clear that he's only had to make decisions that only affect him or Shirley, never anyone else.

"I don't know exactly how accurate that is but what if it's true?" I said. "He's just trying to save Shirley in any way he can. That's all he knows right now. You can't blame him for not understanding having greater responsibilities among others. I take it you do though, from your outburst." My last words seemed to deflate her greatly. She looked at me for a long time in silence before speaking.

"When I was a very young girl both of my parents were murdered by a man," she intoned blankly. "I was the only child of the Lord Valens, and because of that I was forced to take up the mantel of the House of Valens. Since I was younger than Harriet I've been responsible for the lives and well being of everyone employed by House Valens. Until you've gone through what I have you don't have the right to say you know what it means to understand how little it takes to destroy something, and how much it takes to prevent it." There was a heavy silence following her words.

"You're a strong girl, Chloe," I said, looking out over the village. We had reached the end of the upper levels, which were surrounded by a low wall (let's not forget it was for otters, not humans). "Considering what I know of you I'd say you turned out for the better, despite your situation." Chloe finally cracked a small smile.

"It's just like you to say something like that," she said, shaking her head. "Anyway, once I turned fifteen I placed a trusted retainer in charge of the general running of the house and left in pursuit of the man who made my life such hell. It's been nearly two years and I've tracked him to the Legacy."

"The man with the snake tattoo..." I said.

"Yes that's right, you did hear me ask about him didn't you," she said with a nod. "I know living for revenge isn't something that brings happiness in the end. I'm not disillusioned by any of that. But I want closure, and this is the only thing I've been able to think of since it happened."

"Well I hope you find your closure," I said honestly, squeezing her hand a bit. She glanced down at it, having forgotten that our hands were still interlocked.

"You enjoy teasing me don't you?" she shot at me, her mouth a thin line, though with a ghost of a smile behind it.

"Yeah, a bit, sorry," I said, withdrawing my hand from hers. "You feeling a bit better?"

"Honestly, no," she said. "But I'm not flying off the handle like I was earlier though. Thank you for pulling me out of there, I was out of line."

"It's alright, you usually have a good reason for going crazy," I said with a shrug. She raised her eyebrows.

"Usually?"

"Well there was that one time you started slicing at me assuming I was a bandit kidnapper." Chloe's face grew a bit red.

"Hey it was only the one time." I was laughing though. We started heading back to the Scallop's place. "I was wondering... what you might have remembered, if anything," she said after walking a little distance.

"I remembered a girl's face," I said, deciding on the spot to be a little more open with the young knight. She had honestly opened up to me after a short amount of time, considering what it actually took her to tell Senel not even half as much.

"Oh? A lover?" she teased. I glanced at Chloe to see her enjoying herself. I suppose she must have been happy to be on the teasing side for once as opposed to the teased.

"Dunno," I said with a shrug. "She's beautiful, so I guess I can only hope so."

"Well what does she look like?" I closed my eyes a second. It was easy to visualize Lyra in front of me, wearing that pretty white dress she had worn the second time I saw her.

"A young woman about your height," I started, comparing her to Chloe for a reference. "Cream colored skin that's just as soft. Bright blue eyes like the sky, a cute button of a nose and equally small smile. She's got a round face and overall nice figure. Best of all though is she's got long flowing golden hair. It's like silk. Wrap that all together with the bubbly smile she's wearing and you've got the girl that's in my head." Chloe was staring at me, expression unreadable. "Other than that, I don't know anything about her. How old my mental image of her is, her relation to me, and..." I hesitated because the next thing was very real and I did not like entertaining the thought. "And whether or not she's still alive."

"What about her name?" she asked.

"Lyra," I said without thinking. Fucking hell, _really_ Shayne? I cleared my throat. "I think so anyway. I'm glad that I'm getting at least something back out of my head. A pretty girl is surely better than nothing right?" I posed.

"Personally I'd rather have a handsome guy," said Chloe with a grin.

"Well as tempting as it sounds I'll stick to the pretty girls in my head," I said dryly, causing her to laugh. "Seriously though," I added, "do you think we could keep this under wraps? I'd rather not put things out into the open until I've confirmed them."

"Of course," she said at once. We had arrived back at the house. I knocked twice and the door was answered almost immediately by Will.

"Great I was hoping you'd get back soon," he said. "All cooled off?" Chloe nodded, looked slightly abashed at her earlier behavior. "Don't let it bother you Chloe, we're talking about the war with your homeland. I would expect for you to be a bit high strung."

"Thank you, Raynard," thanked the girl.

"You've also given Senel a lot to think over so don't think your words fell on deaf ears," he added, though this time much more softly. He opened the door wider and let us in fully.

"Well, now that we're all here, we can begin the strategy session to regain Shirley and disrupt Vaclav's operation," said Jay as soon as we sat down. "Though I agree that removing Shirley from Vaclav's control won't help the war effort on the mainland, it really is imperative that we do not allow him to gain control of anything that could potentially turn the war in Crusand's favor, especially if it may lead to other conquests following Gadoria. Agreed?"

"What got you on board?" I asked. It wasn't as if Jay was originally going to go this far. We'd only asked for info on Vaclav's whereabouts and objectives after all.

"Pippo and the others wanted to help you because you are their friends," he began. "However I cannot allow them to get caught up in such a dangerous thing so I will be helping in their stead. Even if I weren't going to try to help you I assumed that you would want this information anyway which is why I've been keeping extra close tabs on Vaclav and his force's movements."

"Prudent of you," I said approvingly. Jay shrugged.

"In any case, in order to retrieve Shirley with any amount of ease we will be ambushing the detachment before they are able to rendezvous with the main force. The only place that we can use within reason will be here."

"That's where the Waterways is located," said Will, scratching his chin.

"Yes we will be using them to our advantage. In essence the main plan will be a two pronged distraction with a grab and go. I'll obviously go into more detail when we're there but that can wait. For now it would be best for everyone to get as much sleep as they can. We will have to move quickly to head off the detachment. Fortunately because there are so few of us it will take virtually no time at all to set up the ambush itself." Jay piked up the small stones and rolled up the map. "I'm heading upstairs now. I'll wake you all when it's time to get up." He immediately made his way upstairs only to return a few seconds later. "Never mind I'll sleep down here as well."

"Harriet's up there right?" said Will. "It's alright you can tell her to come down."

"She's sleeping and I'd rather not deal with the fallout of waking her up," he said. I hid a grin. Jay's track record in confrontations with the girl was pretty pathetic after all. "Pippo's keeping an eye on her."

"Ah, thanks for that," said Will with a small nod. "Norma are you-" I turned to find what Will had discovered: Norma was out cold on the lower bunk of one of the Scallop's beds, her legs hanging off the end. "Well never mind," he amended, turning back to the rest of us. "Being able to rest in safety while traveling is usually pretty rare so let's take advantage. Senel I know that you're having a hard time being patient, but just hang in there alright?"

"I'll be fine, Will," he said. He went over to the bed Norma occupied and hopped up to the top bunk, settling in as best he could.

"What are you two going to do?" asked Chloe, looking at myself and Will. We glanced at each other. There was no way either of us were going to be sleeping on those beds. In any case there was only one more empty one.

"Well the rug is pretty soft," I mused. I walked over and took a pillow from Norma's bed. It wasn't like she was using it, sleeping like a wacky starfish. "Here Will," I said, tossing it to him.

"What about you?"

"You can use this," said Chloe, grabbing the blanket from her small bed. She rolled it up into a bulky pillow.

"Thanks, Chloe," I said, taking it from her. "Here's to hoping everything works out in the end, yeah?" Will glanced at the ceiling while Chloe eyed her sword, leaning against the wall.

"No kidding."

XxxxX

A/N: And there we go. Nothing much to say here except to remind you all that Shayne is quite a bit older (and taller) than the majority of the group and so they are bound to act differently with him than as if he were their age. They would automatically place him in the same category as Will, though with the distinction that Will is older and has more authority. The SI fics I've read all have MCs who are the same age of the group, which is usually teens. I find that Shayne being in his twenties really adds something to it that wouldn't be there otherwise. It's less about romancing the group than bonding with them. Not to mention I wasn't about to write Shayne as a teen. Thank god I'm not that old anymore...

Anyway, till next time. Keep reading for fun and drop a review if you feel the urge. I do like getting them. =)


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